A mock trailer for the cancelled Batgirl movie recently released by a group of visual effects artists shows just how epic the scrapped DCEU project could have been. Despite filming having wrapped, and despite Warner Bros. having already spent $90 million on the project, the Batgirl movie was unceremoniously shelved in a shocking move last month, not long after Discovery's acquisition of WarnerMedia. The decision to cancel the movie reportedly came down to negative test screenings and the new organization's desire to focus more on its theatrical releases. The movie was set for a 2022 release on HBO Max.
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Batgirl would have starred Leslie Grace as the titular heroine. J.K. Simmons was set to reprise his DCEU role as Commissioner Gordon, and Brendan Fraser, whose career is currently in a state of renaissance, would have starred as the movie’s main villain, Firefly. However, perhaps the most exciting addition to the cast was Michael Keaton, who would have reprised the role of Bruce Wayne, one he first played in 1989's Batman. Unfortunately, even though the movie was already in post-production, the restructured studio elected not to release it.
However, while the movie was axed, the visual effects artists at Corridor Digital made a trailer for it anyway. Having actress Jordan Coleman step in to fill Grace's role, and utilizing a combination of original footage and shots from past films, the artists were able to create a trailer that genuinely looks like it belongs to a big budget superhero movie. The creators were so meticulous that there's even an accompanying 23-minute behind-the-scenes video detailing how they created the costumes, effects, and more. Check out the finished product below:
Currently, it looks like the world may never see an actual trailer for Batgirl. Despite Batgirl's potential $90 million loss and all the hard work of the cast and crew, the project now seems destined to sit on a shelf collecting dust. However, fan pressure has been proven able to change the minds of Warner Bros. executives in the past, as evidenced by the success of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut social media campaign. But as Warner Bros. is reportedly planning to use the movie as a tax write-off to recoup some of its losses, the chances of a similar campaign being successful would be low.
Whether or not a similarly passionate fanbase will form around the scrapped Batgirl movie remains to be seen. As of now, it seems unlikely that audiences will see an official trailer for the movie anytime soon, if ever. Despite early screenings reportedly receiving audience ratings on par with DC's Dwayne Johnson-starring Black Adam, which is scheduled to release next month, Batgirl apparently doesn’t meet the standard of theatricality the new leadership at Warner Bros. Discovery is aiming for. Unless the movie somehow eventually makes its way to the screen, audiences will never know if that was the right call or not. But thanks to the crew at Corridor Digital, at least they can imagine what Batgirl could have been.