BATGIRL (2022): Warner Bros. Pulls the Plug on Releasing Superhero Film Starring Leslie Grace

Warner Bros. Puts Superhero Movie to Sleep

Warner Bros. is not going to release the promised superhero movie, Batgirl, which was already filmed and starred Leslie Grace.

Either Warner Bros. has plenty of money to burn or the latest Batgirl movie was really bad. The studio has chosen to put their eagerly awaited female superhero movie to sleep and it will not be shown on HBO Max or play in theaters. Why did Warner Bros. pull the plug on this film? I have some theories and there are some cold hard facts which led to this decision.

Female-led superhero movies like Catwoman (Halle Berry’s atrocious version) and the horrible reception of Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl in the Batman & Robin movie from the late 1990’s kind of hurt these two actresses’ career a bit. Alicia Silverstone faded into oblivion for a while since that aforementioned project of hers crashed and burned while Berry was snubbed for a couple of award-worthy performances after donning the Catwoman costume. Berry should have been a sure-fire bet to get a nod for Bruised this past year, but people are still remembering what a bad job she did in Catwoman. Don’t quote me on that but it’s a definite possibility.

Leslie Grace was cast as Batgirl and, apparently, it was another bad casting choice in the world of female-led superhero movies. If she did a good job, why not release the film? Maybe this decision will salvage Grace’s promising movie career as an actress.

My other theory on why Warner Bros. is shelving the film is this: Brendan Fraser has an Oscar-worthy turn coming up in The Whale and many expect him to win the Academy Award next year. He had a big part in Batgirl as a villain and, maybe, that was a performance that could severely hurt his chances of taking home the Academy Award. And Warner Bros. may like Fraser just a little since they worked with him back in 1994 when Fraser starred in With Honors.

Of course, the real reason being projected around town as to why Batgirl is being “buried” is that the movie simply does not deliver the expected goods. Perhaps even test screenings were poor. However, this is a huge decision since the movie carried a budget close to $80 million. The money spent on the project will be lost since the movie will not be seeing the light of day or rather the dark of theaters (or living rooms), to be more precise.

For whatever reason, this project is not happening and it’s a shame. Unless, of course, the picture was actually so bad that it could hurt all those involved who want to win Oscars. Coming on the soon-to-be 20th anniversary of the Catwoman fiasco, Berry’s old role should be soon forgotten (hopefully) and, perhaps, Berry could get that other Oscar nod she’s been worthy of in a couple of projects since she won for Monster’s Ball. While my money is on Brendan Fraser to take home the gold at the Oscars, I better see that film first to place that bet. Early buzz on The Whale is very promising. Burying Batgirl could make a Fraser win possible and isn’t that what Fraser fans really want?

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