This past August, we passed the three-year anniversary[1] of Warner Bros. Discovery cancelling Batgirl as a tax write-off[2]. Since then, there’s been no motion on reviving the film, but its directors[3] and stars[4] haven’t lost hope luck will come their way.
While doing press for his latest film Maintenance Required, actor Jacob Scipio—who was to play Gotham mob boss Antony Bressi—told The Direct[5] he thought the chances of Batgirl’s return have slightly gone up in the wake of Coyote vs. Acme’s similar cancellation and big screen revival[6] for August 2026. “I got the chance to watch it, and it was a phenomenal film,” he said. “It was great that they saved [Coyote]…there’s always hope. Hollywood’s a funny place, and I think if enough people want it, it can happen.”
At the time, Batgirl’s cancellation garnered a lot of bad press for WB from fans, press, and even led to several United States lawmakers contacting the Department of Justice[7] asking it to reconsider its approval of the WBD merger. There’ve been plenty of high-profile cancellations since then, which further tarnished the studio’s reputation with audiences and filmmakers up until fairly recently with hits like Sinners and Weapons[8].
Could Batgirl make a comeback, despite being apparently so “unreleasable[9]” it would’ve damaged the DC brand? That’s…a little tricky; the biggest roadblock is Batman: Michael Keaton would’ve played an older version of the character, similar to what he did for 2023’s The Flash[10], which WB seriously bet the farm on back then. Between the new DC Films universe and Matt Reeves’ own cinematic world, he’s a big question mark other adjacent movies are currently working around, which may not be possible here. Even so, it deserves a chance: like Scipio said, Coyote’s getting a fair shake, so why not this?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel[11], Star Wars[12], and Star Trek[13] releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV[14], and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who[15].
References
- ^ three-year anniversary (gizmodo.com)
- ^ tax write-off (gizmodo.com)
- ^ directors (gizmodo.com)
- ^ stars (gizmodo.com)
- ^ The Direct (thedirect.com)
- ^ big screen revival (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Department of Justice (deadline.com)
- ^ Sinners and Weapons (www.indiewire.com)
- ^ unreleasable (gizmodo.com)
- ^ The Flash (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Marvel (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Star Wars (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Star Trek (gizmodo.com)
- ^ DC Universe on film and TV (gizmodo.com)
- ^ Doctor Who (gizmodo.com)