“Batgirl” and other movies that didn’t make it to theaters

In the vast world of entertainment it is very common to see television series being cancelled, regardless of the reason. Now, what is quite rare is that films have the same fate, especially when they were already recorded and it was only a matter of time before they were released in theaters. In the middle of the year 2022, this has happened with "Batgirl".

Everything seems to indicate that the DC universe is becoming a ship adrift, because to the cancellation of this feature film we must add the image problems of the actors Ezra Miller ("The Flash") and Amber Heard (Mera, in "Aquaman"), in addition to the abrupt endings of several of his series. But the problem with "Batgirl", it seems, goes beyond poor management.

According to various reports, the film that was supposed to land on HBO Max had a budget of almost 90 million dollars. The detail was that for David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, it was a fairly high figure to be released by streaming, and very low to reach the big screen. Therefore, his decision was to stop everything and save it so that it would not see the light.

Of course, those who suffer most from this situation are the fans of the character and of DC, who must now settle for the decision of the company's executives. In fact, specialized media assure that the new administration did not think that "Batgirl" was good enough, not to mention that they could get a tax deduction if they did not release it.

In short, many were left with the desire to see a feature film that was going to be part of the DC Cinematic Universe. The cast was led by Leslie Grace as Batgirl; Michael Keaton, in the role of Batman; JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon; and Brendan Fraser played the villain Firefly.

Read also: Review of "Predator: The Prey": A new heroine revitalizes the saga

Other films with the same fate

Hollywood has taught us that anything is possible, both for better and for worse. "Batgirl" is not the first movie to be canceled in the middle of post-production, and unfortunately it won't be the last either. With regard to all this inconvenience, we make a brief review of several titles that were not seen on the big screen either, despite the fact that some seemed to be successful at the box office.

"Don’s Plum"

In the nineties, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire were young people with very good projection, but with a reputation for being problematic. In this feature film, which they agreed to do to collaborate with a friend, they dealt with very controversial topics. Seeing that the production was full of controversy, the legal team of both actors managed to prohibit its premiere in theaters.

"Hippie Hippie Shake"

The biographical film of Richard Neville, editor of the Australian satirical magazine Oz, not only disappointed him, but also Universal Pictures who wanted to avoid tax payments. Starring Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller, this 2007 drama focused on the rise of the magazine and the lawsuits they faced for their raunchy content. Few critics managed to see it before canceling its presentation to the public.

"The Brave"

Another actor who enjoyed a good artistic moment at the end of the nineties was Jhonny Depp, who took the opportunity to try his luck as a director of a feature film. However, his debut was not as expected, and after its premiere at the Cannes Festival, bad reviews forced him to cancel everything commercially. The film told the story of a Native American who lived in extreme poverty with his family. In addition to Depp, Marlon Brando also acted.

"Gore"

In 2018, Netflix had a great present and had this biopic as a favorite to win everything in the awards season. However, the drama that would portray the life of the writer Gore Vidal had an abrupt end a few days after finishing its production. The reason? The scandals of abuse and sexual harassment against Kevin Spacey, the protagonist of the film. The streaming platform canceled all work related to the actor, something that cost him up to 39 million dollars.

"Superman Lives"

A film that promised to be a total success at the box office in the late nineties, with Tim Burton directing and Nicolas Cage as the superhero. A few weeks after filming began, a series of problems forced the cancellation by Warner Bros, such as financial issues and creative differences between producer Jon Peters and the writers. In 2015, a documentary was released in DVD format that recounted all the behind-the-scenes events about this project.