Leslie Grace, the star of Warner Bros. now-cancelled “Batgirl” movie, released a statement following the studio’s decision to cancel plans to release the film in theaters or on HBO Max. The comic book movie would mark Grace’s biggest acting role since her breakthrough performance in In the Heights. It would also be a rare superhero film headlined by a Latin American actor.
“Querida familia! “With the recent news about our Batgirl movie, I’m so proud of the love, hard work and intent all of our amazing cast and tireless crew put into this movie over 7 months in Scotland,” Grace wrote on Instagram. “I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and built lifelong relationships in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and faith that allowed me to take the plunge and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!” Batgirl for life!”
Grace’s post was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes look at the film, including videos of Grace working the camera, singing along to Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous Girl” with her co-stars, and singing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” while suits up.
Warner Bros. announced on Aug. 2 that it would not be releasing the $90 million hit “Batgirl” in theaters or on its HBO Max streamer, even though the film is fully shot and in post-production. Sources told Variety that the decision to kill off “Batgirl” had nothing to do with the quality of the film. Instead, the studio intended to fulfill its desire for DC’s slate of films to be on a blockbuster scale, which “Batgirl” was not, as it was originally conceived specifically for HBO Max.
“Batgirl” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Falla issued their own statement a day after the film was shelved, saying they were “saddened and shocked” by the news. The filmmaking duo is best known for filming “Bad Boys for Life” and episodes of “Ms. A miracle.”
“We still can’t believe it,” the directing duo wrote in a statement. “As filmmakers, it’s extremely important that our work is shown to the public, and although the film was far from finished, we wish fans around the world had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film for themselves. Maybe one day you will insha Allah.”
“It has been a privilege and an honor to be a part of the DCEU, even for a brief moment,” their statement added. “Batgirl for Life”.
Grace spoke enthusiastically about “Batgirl” before the film was shelved. The actor told Variety in April that she even had preliminary discussions with El Arbi and Fallah about what “the sequel could be.”
“There are crazy stunts, crazy falls,” Grace added of the film. “She’s a biker chick, so you’re going to see her do a lot of shit… It was a long day, but it was worth it.”
Variety also reported that tax incentives were a driving force behind the decision to kill off “Batgirl.” According to the report: “Warner Bros. will almost certainly take a tax cut, seen internally as the most financially sound way to recover costs (at least on the accountant’s ledger). He could justify this by attributing it to a change in strategy after the merger. However, this would mean that Warner Bros. they can’t monetize any of the films — not an HBO Max debut, not a sale to another studio.”
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