Leslie Grace Responds to Batgirl Cancellatoin: “Thank you for the love and belief”

Warner Bros. canceled Batgirl, and Leslie Grace stated in response.  The movie was unexpectedly canceled by the studio on Tuesday (August 2), and it was also revealed that it will no longer be made available on HBO Max as originally planned.

Following the announcement, Grace, who portrayed Barbara Gordon, or Batgirl, in the canceled movie, sent a message on Instagram thanking the “amazing cast and devoted team” for their hard work.

“Wishing family!” Grace said in the post. I am pleased with the passion, dedication, and intention that our fantastic cast and hardworking team put into this movie over seven months in Scotland in the wake of the terrible news regarding our movie Batgirl. I consider myself fortunate to have collaborated with legends and created connections that will last a lifetime.

“To every Batgirl fan: THANK YOU for your support and encouragement, which enabled me to don the cape and become, in Babs’ words, “my damn hero”! Forever a Batgirl!

After making her acting debut in Jon M. Chu’s adaption of In The Heights, Grace was expected to play the part of Batgirl, which would be her largest acting role to date.  After shooting on the project was finished in March of this year, Batgirl was cut during post-production. It is said that the cancellation had nothing to do with the movie’s quality and was instead the result of Warner Bros. Discovery’s new management’s desire to return to producing blockbuster-sized DC movies.

The film Batgirl, with a modest $90 million (£73 million) budget, was proposed for HBO Max home viewing only.

What more Leslie Grace says shared about Batgirl?

Variety reports that a tax incentive is said to have played a role in the movie’s cancellation, with a tax write-off allegedly being considered “the most financially prudent method to recuperate the expenditures.” According to the article, Warner Bros. declined to respond to the allegations.  Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film’s makers, released a statement on Wednesday (August 3) in which they expressed their astonishment and sadness at the information.

They wrote, “We still can’t believe it. While the movie was far from done, we wished that viewers from all over the globe would have had the chance to witness and enjoy the end product. As filmmakers, people must see our work. Insha’Allah, maybe they will in the future.

Along with Batgirl, Warner Bros. also decided to shelve the animated movie Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which was a sequel to the 2020 movie Scoob! and had previously been included in an HBO Max sizzle reel.

Warner Bros. sent the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “The decision to not distribute Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategy change as it pertains to the DC universe and HBO Max. Although Leslie Grace is an exceptionally brilliant performer, this choice does not speak to how well she performed.

 “We are appreciative to Scoob and Batgirl’s directors! We hope to work with Holiday Haunt and each of their different casts once again soon.

J.K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino, and Michael Keaton also acted in Batgirl with Grace. Michael Keaton played Batman for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns. In DC’s The Flash, which has been marred by controversy owing to several arrests against its star Ezra Miller, Keaton is also slated to reprise the role. The date of release is set for June 23, 2023.