Summary
DC Studios inadvertently promoted the scrappedBatgirlproject, one of the first projects to get the boot under Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s new administration. The cancelation has since been seen as indicative of a heavy-handed approach to content management.
Springing out from the pages of DC Comics’Batman,Batgirl has been a frequent ally of the Caped Crusader on and off over time, with her civilian identity being Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gotham PD mainstay Jim Gordon. While the character’s presence has been a bit inconsistent, as with all Batman’s sidekicks, Batgirl has always had a special place in the hearts of the fans, and as such, the news that Warner Bros. was moving forward with a non-theatrical release of a live–action Batgirl project was warmly received.
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The project would never make it to streaming platforms, as it was subsequently announced thatWarner Bros. Discovery had scrapped theBatgirlfilm entirely, despite the principal cinematography being done and the project being in post-production. Despite that, the studio has inadvertently promoted the movie as a post on social media shows. In a picture uploaded with the caption, “Marketing is kicking up. We love to see it …stay tuned for the big surprise ð #BlueBeetle #BlueBeetleBattalion,” Twitter userCroc_Blockcan be seen posing next to a promotional cutout for the upcomingBlue Beetlelive-action adaptation, with a bunch of other DCU projects being advertised at the bottom of the cutout.
Eagle-eyed readers can see the logo for the canceledBatgirlmovie alongside the logos for other DC properties being advertised. This includes the critically acclaimed filmThe Batman,which directorMatt Reeves emphasized his intentions of making into a detective movie, much to the delight of most moviegoers. The issue likely stems from the subdued advertising budget for the upcomingBlue Beetlefilm brought on by the recent expensive failure ofThe Flash, which might explain the use of outdated cutouts.
Irrespective of concerns with the advertising budget, the inclusion of theBatgirlbranding is a significant error on the part of the company, as the official line and narrative set up by Peter Safran, who saidthe Batgirl film would have hurt DCdue to being remarkably bad, would imply that the branding would be scrapped more judiciously to avoid the perpetual resurgence of discussion surrounding the controversial cancelation. Several names in the industry came out in support of the cast and crew, and the general sentiment toward Warner Bros. Discovery at the time was unfavorable, making mention of the project a mistake.
One wonders how much damageBatgirlcould have done to the DCU when projects that seemingly passed the Safran test have done significant damage to fan interest and the bottom line, withThe Flashtrending towards making less than a historic DC flopdespite the confidence of the studio in the face of the controversy surrounding the film’s lead and other concerns. The failure of so many subsequent projects seems to lend credence to the cancelation ofBatgirlbeing a tax write-off and the smears on its quality being a cover-up.
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