On August 2nd, 2022 it was reported by the New York Post that “Batgirl” would be shelved by Warner Brothers Discovery and would not be released in theaters or on HBO Max leading to $90 million loss for the company. The film was set to star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl with other big names such as Michael Keaton returning as Batman, J.K. Simmons as Jim Gordon and Brendan Frasier as the film’s antagonist, Firefly. “Batgirl” was fully shot and in the test screening stage but wasn’t receiving the amount of praise as hoped by WBD. Rumors indicate that the film was canceled to save money from marketing costs and tax write offs but is that really the reason? As noted, Michael Keaton is set to reprise his role as Batman after 30 years in the main DCEU continuity, however this is questionable because at the moment Ben Affleck is still the current Batman of the DCEU. “The Flash” starring Ezra Miller is set to reboot the DCEU and bring back Michael Keaton as Batman to replace Ben Affleck in a more permanent role. However, due to Ezra Miller being actively involved in legal troubles and souring his reputation with DC, “The Flash” is being delayed to June 23, 2023. Given how often Miller’s issues are occurring it is safe to say that the status of “The Flash” is unknown at best and the release date given is just a placeholder. “Batgirl” is reliant on “The Flash” coming out so it can be established that Michael Keaton will be the new Batman of the main continuity, but Ezra Miller appears to be the real factor that is holding back both of the film’s releases. If “The Flash” is finally able to release in theaters, perhaps later down the line WBD will decide to take “Batgirl” off the shelf and allow audiences to see the film.
