In a strange turn of events, it is reported the canceled Batgirl movie is getting a private screening at the Warner Bros. lot for the cast and crew.
The news follows it learned that the directors said the movie isn’t closed to being finished, hasn’t had any VFX work done, and needs additional shooting, so this is sort of odd.
“If it’s released one day, there would be a lot of work,” said Adil El Arbi in a recent interview. “Just like the Snyder Cut. It cannot be released in its current state.”
Bilall Fallah added, “There is no VFX. There’s nothing…”
It could be possible that whatever has been completed with Batgirl will be shown to the cast and crew, so maybe that is what is going on and it’s a rough cut.
It also means Batgirl hasn’t totally been deleted, as the directors also revealed that following receiving news of the cancellation, they went to the servers where all the footage was wiped, including footage of Michael Keaton as Batman.
“Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead and shoot everything on your phone,’” recalled Bilall Fallah. “I went to the server, everything was gone. We were like, ‘F-n sh-t!’ All the scenes, we did not keep Batman.”
Will Batgirl get released?
With Warner Bros. showing off footage to the cast and crew, it will obviously spark hope that one day the film could get released. Worth a mention is that Aquaman 2 and Shazam 2 just saw big delays in release dates, so maybe there is hope Batgirl could see the light of day.
The directors also released a video on social media noting, “Our movie won’t be canceled.”
The major problem with the release of Batgirl seems to be that it has been reported the flick was canceled for tax break purposes, so if it ever does get released, it seems there wouldn’t be any tax breaks, which could put WBD at the odds with the IRS.
Via Deadline:
While a majority of people will never get a chance to see the Batgirl movie Warner Bros. shelved earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to Deadline that screenings are being held on lot this week for a select few. It is believed that cast and crew who worked on the film along with reps and studio execs were given invites to the screenings that began today and will go throughout the week.
Update: THR also adds:
One source described them as “funeral screenings,” held before the film is sent off to an undisclosed afterlife, with footage locked away in a vault, either physical or digital.
Batgirl also stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon and the titular character, and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, with Brendan Fraser as the villain, Firefly.