Although Batgirl was created as a project for HBO Max to increase subscriptions to the channel, it was formally confirmed in 2021 as a film on DC's schedule. A number of eagerly awaited films and television shows in different stages of development were canceled or remade between 2020 and 2022, but Batgirl's cancellation was particularly unexpected given the hype surrounding it and the fact that filming had already concluded.

Fans of comic books are accustomed to titles being announced and then postponed indefinitely, or movies switching from theaters to streaming services, but DC fans are still adjusting to a whole picture being produced and nearly finished, only to have it virtually erased. The cast and their feelings about this unfortunate decision were not that different from the fans’.

Here are the reactions from each cast member to Warner Bros.’ controversial shelving of the Batgirl movie.

Singer and actor Leslie Grace, who was poised to become the first Afro-Latina actress to play a DC superhero, was obviously distraught by this out-of-the-blue decision. Regardless, Grace, who played Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the shelved movie, praised the actors and crew involved in the project and showed her satisfaction with their efforts in an emotional Instagram post back in 2022.

She stressed the role's beneficial effects on her career while acknowledging the viewers' disappointment. As a matter of fact, Grace did not know about the abrupt cancellation of the project and found out about the news just like everyone else after it was reported by the New York Post.

Brendan Fraser, who played Firefly in the film, mourned the loss of a relatable protagonist for a generation of young girls, calling the cancellation "a tragedy." He pointed out the substantial labor done in Glasgow and the film's squandered potential, criticizing the studio for commodifying to the point where it is burned for tax write-offs rather than providing people with a finished and enjoyable product.

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The decision, according to him, really stung, as he was expecting the studios to make some significant changes to the existing product to take it out of the streaming service slate to a possible theatrical release. But the prospect was cut short with the studios’ decision to shove the project under the rug entirely.

Michael Keaton said he "didn't care one way or another" and described the salary as "big, fun, and nice," but he did show sympathy for the directors of the film. Although Keaton's public remarks were not as empathetic as one would hope, other cast members and prominent players in the business acknowledged his role as Batman and the mentor to the young Batgirl in the project and the impact of the cancellation on the DCEU. The choice was viewed as a setback to the DC cinematic universe's tone and consistency.

The actor claimed that despite the Batgirl film's cancellation, he still admires Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film's directors. In Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie, Keaton played Batman/Bruce Wayne for the first time. He most recently returned to the role in the 2023 film The Flash.

In an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz podcast, JK Simmons, who portrayed Commissioner James Gordon, acknowledged the fact that Batgirl was scrapped as bizarre because, to his knowledge, one test audience saw the film, and it was not like they gave it a bad score.

According to him, it was all a business decision that stripped the audience of a chance to experience the origin story of a beloved DC superhero. He further shared that it was a fun experience shooting the film and considers the movie to be an enjoyable watch, even though he has never seen the final or even the initial cut of the film.

Ivory Aquino, who plays Batgirl's onscreen best friend, Alysia Yeoh, publicly urged Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to change its mind about possibly destroying the movie footage. Her honest plea really reflects of the immense care someone close to the film holds for the project that ultimately got shelved.

The film's directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, expressed shock and regret despite not being cast members, and were apparently prevented from accessing production servers to stop any video from being leaked. While the decision to do away with a finished Batgirl flick has bummed the fans of the DC Universe quite a bit, there is still some hope left to see the character on the screen with James Gunn’s constant efforts in establishing Batman and the extended Bat Family in the new DCU.

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Do you think it was fair on Warner Bros.’ part to shelve a finished Batgirl movie? Share your thoughts.