It’s not often that a major studio junks an almost completed film that was highly anticipated. In fact, it may have only happened twice, and by the same studio, and at the same time. Earlier this month, it was reported that Warner Bros. Discovery had decided they simply wouldn’t release either Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, as part of some convoluted (and, as per many, ghoulish) attempt at a tax write-off. Perhaps one day the suddenly plagued corporation will have a change of heart. But at least some people have been watching the former.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, a number of sources have claimed to have attended secret “funeral screenings” of Batgirl, which stars In the Heights’ Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham’s Commissioner Gordon, who reinvents herself as the city’s other caped crusader. The screenings took place on the Warner Bros. lot and they included those who worked on the movie, both cast and crew, who wanted to see the fruit of their labors before the footage was hauled off to a vault or, as may happen, it was destroyed.
Indeed, there’s a possibility that Warner Bros. Discovery may do the latter if they seek to convince the IRS that they have no intention of ever profiting off of the shelved movie. Or they may simply hold onto it, release it later, and pay back the tax liability. Whatever the case, not even Batgirl’s directors, Bad Boys for Life’s Adil El Aribi and Bilall Fallah, could get their mitts on the footage when they tried to access it. It’s not great news for the newly merged corporation either, who have no doubt unnerved not only top shelf talent but also their paying customers. Anyway, here’s to more people being able to see Batgirl – and for that matter, the second Scoob! film.
(Via THR)
