Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Paul Speed

‘Irredeemable’ Batgirl movie cancelled - despite costing £74m and being nearly finished

Hugely-anticipated DC Comics film Batgirl won’t get a cinema release or even appear on streaming services - despite more than around £74m ($90m) being splashed out on it.

The movie was supposed to come out later this year, but was sidelined after test screenings were panned by audiences - causing studio execs to fear the damage it could do to the brand, an insider told the New York Post.

"They think an unspeakable Batgirl is going to be irredeemable," it was claimed.

The decision means the film ranks among the most expensive cancelled cinematic projects of all time.

Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and starring Leslie Grace in the title role, the movie also features a star-studded supporting cast including Whiplash’s J.K. Simmon s, past Batman Michael Keaton and The Mummy trilogy’s Brendan Fraser.

Perhaps tellingly, the film was notably absent during a showcase by the DC panel at Comic-Con in San Diego last month.

Batgirl was meant to be released on HBO Max, with media outlet The Puck newsletter reporting earlier this year that then-Warner Bros. exec Toby Emmerich was gunning for a potential cinema release.

Emmerich left Warner earlier in the summer to begin his own production company, with Warner being re-organised to form a ‘DC-based film production' branch, according to Variety.

Sources within the studio told Variety the decision to shelve Batgirl was not a reflection on the movie’s quality or work from the filmmakers.

The studio said it wanted its DC releases to be on a blockbuster level.

Want to get the latest TV news direct to your inbox? Sign up for our daily newsletter HERE

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.