Warner Bros. spikes 'irredeemable' 'Batgirl' movie starring Leslie Grace



Warner Bros. announced Tuesday that "Batgirl," a feature film adaptation of the DC Comics character, will not be released in theaters or on its HBO Max streaming platform. The movie was reportedly so unspeakably, irredeemably bad, that the studio decided to spike the $90 million project rather than risk damaging its brand by releasing it to the public.

"The decision to not release 'Batgirl' reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max," a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement to CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros.-Discovery.

The studio also axed its film "Scoob! Holiday Haunt."

The New York Post was the first to report that the movie, starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, would be "shelved." The film also starred J.K. Simmons as Barbara's father Commissioner Jim Gordon and had Michael Keaton reprise his role as Batman, while Brendan Fraser played the villain, Firefly.

Test screenings for "Batgirl," which was in post-production, were reportedly so poorly received by moviegoers that Warner Bros. "decided to cut its losses and run for the sake of the brand's future," the Post reported.

"They think an unspeakable ‘Batgirl’ is going to be irredeemable,” an unnamed "Hollywood source" was quoted saying in the report.

Other reports contradict that claim. Variety reported that the decision to kill "Batgirl" was not related to the quality of the film, bur rather was a result of the studio's decision to release DC features on a "blockbuster scale." While "Batgirl" reportedly had a $90 million budget, the film was intended for home release on HBO Max instead of a global release in major movie theaters.

"Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance," Warner Bros. said. "We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of 'Batgirl' and 'Scoob! Holiday Haunt' and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future."

In a statement posted to Instagram, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said they were "saddened and shocked by the news" that their film was canceled.

“As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah,” they wrote.

The statement continues, "Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life. We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication and humanity.”

“In any case, as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment,” the directors conclude. “Batgirl For Life.”

Transgender woman to portray transgender best friend of Batgirl in live-action movie. 'What a stunning, brave triumph!' one observer quips.



A transgender woman has been cast to portray the transgender best friend of Batgirl in the HBO Max movie of the same name — and it will be the first time an openly transgender character makes an appearance in a live-action movie adaptation of a DC Comics title, Variety reported.

What are the details?

Ivory Aquino of “Tales of the City” and “When We Rise” will play Alysia Yeoh in the “Batgirl” movie, the magazine said.

The Yeoh character first appeared in a 2011 issue of “Batgirl” written by Gail Simone and drawn by Ardian Syaf, Variety said, adding that the movie also stars Leslie Grace as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, J.K. Simmons as Gotham City police commissioner Jim Gordon, Michael Keaton — reprising his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne — and Brendan Fraser as the unspecified main villain.

Aquino previously starred in cisgender female roles before publicly coming out as a transgender woman during a promotional tour for "When We Rise," in which she portrayed transgender activist Cecilia Chung, according to Seventeen.

Variety noted that there have been "several strides in broadening LGBTQ+ representation in superhero adaptations over the past few years, especially on television," mentioning that the CW series “Supergirl” included the first trans superhero on TV in "Dreamer," and the superhero’s sister came out as a lesbian during Season 2. Variety added that the CW’s “Batwoman” character "has always been a lesbian" and that the animated DC series “Harley Quinn” ended its second season with Harley and Poison Ivy falling in love. In addition, the magazine said the title character in the 2021 Marvel Studios’ Disney Plus series “Loki" revealed he is pansexual, and the movie “Eternals” included the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first same-sex couple.

What was the reaction?

Not everyone commenting on Variety's story about a transgender woman portraying the transgender Yeoh character in "Batgirl" was thrilled:

  • "Stunning AND brave!" one commenter replied sarcastically. "It’s going to be SO successful, and what’s even better is that when it’s not, then we can call people bigots and biased! What a stunning, brave triumph! 'It’s time we talked about trans-Batgirl!'"
  • "Creepy," another commenter offered. "For this idea to even enter into a person's thought process shows a mental defect. Every single one of these woke movies bombs at the box office yet they still keep pumping them out. Very odd."
  • "They ruined Supergirl with this, so why not Batgirl," another commenter stated.