Summary
- Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to scrap the Batgirl project is indicative of a heavy-handed approach to content management under CEO David Zaslav.
- Despite the project being canceled, DC Studios inadvertently promoted the Batgirl film on social media, causing controversy and discussion.
- The inclusion of the Batgirl branding alongside other DC properties being advertised is a significant error on the part of the company, leading to negative sentiment and backlash from industry figures and fans.
DC Studios inadvertently promoted the scrapped Batgirl project, one of the first projects to get the boot under Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav's new administration. The cancelation has since been seen as indicative of a heavy-handed approach to content management.
Springing out from the pages of DC Comics' Batman, Batgirl has been a frequent ally of the Caped Crusader on and off over time, with her civilian identity being Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gotham PD mainstay Jim Gordon. While the character’s presence has been a bit inconsistent, as with all Batman's sidekicks, Batgirl has always had a special place in the hearts of the fans, and as such, the news that Warner Bros. Was moving forward with a non-theatrical release of a live–action Batgirl project was warmly received.
The project would never make it to streaming platforms, as it was subsequently announced that Warner Bros. Discovery had scrapped the Batgirl film entirely, despite the principal cinematography being done and the project being in post-production. Despite that, the studio has inadvertently promoted the movie as a post on social media shows. In a picture uploaded with the caption, “Marketing is kicking up. We love to see it …stay tuned for the big surprise ð #BlueBeetle #BlueBeetleBattalion,” Twitter user Croc_Block can be seen posing next to a promotional cutout for the upcoming Blue Beetle live-action adaptation, with a bunch of other DCU projects being advertised at the bottom of the cutout.
Eagle-eyed readers can see the logo for the canceled Batgirl movie alongside the logos for other DC properties being advertised. This includes the critically acclaimed film The Batman, which director Matt Reeves emphasized his intentions of making into a detective movie, much to the delight of most moviegoers. The issue likely stems from the subdued advertising budget for the upcoming Blue Beetle film brought on by the recent expensive failure of The Flash, which might explain the use of outdated cutouts.
Irrespective of concerns with the advertising budget, the inclusion of the Batgirl branding is a significant error on the part of the company, as the official line and narrative set up by Peter Safran, who said the Batgirl film would have hurt DC due to being remarkably bad, would imply that the branding would be scrapped more judiciously to avoid the perpetual resurgence of discussion surrounding the controversial cancelation. Several names in the industry came out in support of the cast and crew, and the general sentiment toward Warner Bros. Discovery at the time was unfavorable, making mention of the project a mistake.
One wonders how much damage Batgirl could have done to the DCU when projects that seemingly passed the Safran test have done significant damage to fan interest and the bottom line, with The Flash trending towards making less than a historic DC flop despite the confidence of the studio in the face of the controversy surrounding the film’s lead and other concerns. The failure of so many subsequent projects seems to lend credence to the cancelation of Batgirl being a tax write-off and the smears on its quality being a cover-up.
Source: @Croc_Block/Twitter