Why On Earth Would Warner Bros. Cancel Batgirl Instead Of The Flash?
An entire Warner Bros. movie — scrapped. Scrapped after filming was complete and post-production was well underway. We will never see the "Batgirl" movie, and according to Variety, it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. You can choose to believe that or not.
"Batgirl" was never going to make it to the big screen anyway, as the plan was to release it on HBO Max and not in theaters. Despite their 2021 decision to release more streaming-only flicks, Warner Bros. has since taken a left turn and are now avoiding that strategy and are just focusing its dollars on big theater projects. This is the alleged reason "Batgirl" was shelved.
It's still such a baffling choice because can we really buy that excuse? "Batgirl" cost an estimated $90 million to make, which Warner Bros. flushed down the toilet like a dead carnival goldfish. If the studio is focused on their money more than ever, throwing away "Batgirl" is somewhat contradictory.
Since the reasoning behind the "Batgirl" cancellation is somewhat curious, it begs the question of why this is the DC Entertainment movie being canned and not "The Flash?" We still don't know what is going on with the Ezra Miller film, which is set for a June 23, 2023 release. With everything we know regarding both films, it's baffling to see "Batgirl" get canceled over "The Flash."
Money. That's why.
Warner Bros. will make more money off a theatrical release than a straight-to-HBO Max project, which is really the only upper hand "The Flash" has over "Batgirl." But when a film has a highly problematic actor front and center, you can assume a nice chunk of those moviegoers previously interested in the flick will opt to keep their dollars in their pockets upon release. Ezra Miller's recent legal troubles and disturbing behavior make them impossible to root for, which can really affect turnout at the theaters. Releasing the film would also suggest Warner Bros. supports Miller, which is shocking given that they don't seem to support anyone in the "Batgirl" cast or crew.
"Batgirl" has no problematic stars, with "In The Heights" star Leslie Grace donning the cape in the titular role. Not only was Michael Keaton returning as Batman, but "Batgirl" was integral to the Brenassiance. To think, a movie with Brendan Fraser was scrapped while Miller's flick is still roaming free with a 2023 premiere date. The audacity.
Yes, "The Flash" has a budget of $110 million more than "Batgirl," but with the studio indefinitely shelving a $90 million movie willie-nilly, how much does any of this really affect their wallet? How much money can "The Flash" make at this point that Warner Bros. is still considering its release? The movie is not crossing the $1 billion mark, and they'd be lucky to cross $500 million if it still debuts. With all that being said, it seems the only reason "The Flash" is still on is because of its bigger budget and because it will make more in theaters than "Batgirl" could ever earn in subscriber money through HBO Max.
Maybe Warner Bros. will recast Barry Allen and reshoot The Flash
There has definitely been a call to recast Barry Allen in "The Flash" because that would really eliminate the problem most people have. But is that feasible? Meh. According to insiders who spoke to Variety, there is no current plan to replace Ezra Miller in "The Flash" because he is too integral to the film. It would require an entire reshoot, not just a scene here and there. Would Warner Bros. be willing to throw up another $150-$200 million or so to re-do "The Flash?"
Let's be honest; no one has any idea what is going on over there at Warner Bros., especially the DC Entertainment department. So reshooting the film really wouldn't be out of their "didn't see that coming" realm. Recasting Barry is probably the movie's best shot at this point, and we'd wager a reshot "Flash" film would earn more at the box office than the current cut. According to Decider, there is a significant cry from movie fans to replace Miller with Elliot Page. At the same time, Insider reported another fandom pulling for "The Flash" TV show lead Grant Gustin. Both are easy to get behind.
Maybe Warner Bros. shelved "Batgirl" to save those marketing dollars now being repurposed to reshoot "The Flash." It's a big maybe, like a massive maybe, but a maybe nonetheless. If the studio is hell-bent on getting "The Flash" in theaters, they'll need to pinch their pennies on other projects.
Stay tuned for another episode of "What in the world is Warner Bros. doing?"