Although the film’s cancellation means that his role as Batman will never see the light of day, Batgirl Actor Michael Keaton has admitted that he ultimately “didn’t care either way” whether the DC heroine’s solo appearance was stopped.
RELATED: DC Studios Head Peter Safran Confirms ‘Batgirl’ Was ‘Unreleaseable’, Says ‘It Would Have Hurt Everyone Involved’
For those who have memorized the entire project faster than Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and need a quick refresher: Bad Boys: Ride or Die Duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, written by Birds of Prey Author Christina Hodson and In the heights with Leslie Grace as the title character, Batgirl would have seen the most prominent female member of the Bat-Family become her own crime fighter thanks to the guidance of Michael Keaton’s older Batman, with the actor taking the role from his original appearance as the Caped Crusader in Batman (1989) And Batman Returns.
However, shortly after the merger and subsequent formation of Warner Bros. Discovery in August 2022, the aforementioned Zaslav canceled the already completed film in order to achieve his goal of helping to reduce the absolutely enormous debt of the newly formed company.
“The decision not to release Batgirl reflects the strategic shift in our leadership regarding the DC Universe and HBO Max,” a WBD spokesperson told TheWrap in light of the film’s cancellation. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actress and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt (which was also canceled at the same time) and their respective casts and hope to work with everyone again in the near future.”
But it seems that the project has been put on hold not only for financial reasons, but also because a thoroughly bad film.
“I saw the movie,” recalled Peter Safran, co-head of DC Studios, during a 2023 DC investor presentation. “There were a lot of incredibly talented people on that movie, in front of and behind the camera. But that movie wasn’t ready for release. That happens sometimes. That movie wasn’t ready for release.”
RELATED: ‘Batgirl’ actor Brendan Fraser sees film’s fate as a ‘tragic’ setback for studio-filmmaker relations
“I actually think (David) Zaslav and the team made a very brave and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC, it would have hurt the people involved,” he added. “I think they were really committed to DC, to the characters, the story, the quality and all that.”
The DC executive continued: “We would love to work with all of these people. We are already working again with Christina Hodson, the writer. A lot of talented people were involved, but the film just wasn’t ready for release. It wouldn’t have been able to compete in the theatrical market.”
“It was built for the small screen,” he said finally. “I think it was not an easy decision, but they made the right decision by putting it on hold.”
Now, about two years after the decision, Keaton himself has expressed his opinion on the cancellation of Batgirl – and not surprisingly, it does not seem to deviate too far from the opinion of Zaslav or Safran.
When asked about his thoughts on the whole thing in an interview with GQ’s Gabriella Paiella, the fan-favorite Bat actor replied, “No, I didn’t care either way. Big, funny, beautiful check.”
However, Keaten noted not without sympathy: “I like these guys (Batgirl Directors El Arbi and Fallah). They are nice guys. I’m rooting for them. I want them to succeed and I think they felt very bad and that made me feel bad.”
“Me?” he concluded, shrugging casually. “I’m fine.”
NEXT: Michael Keaton is said to have played a “central cameo” as retired Batman in the canceled series “Batgirl”
More about:Uncategorized
