Leslie Grace, successful Latin musician and star of the hit filmIn the Heights, has shared behind-the-scenes footage from the recently canned Warner Bros.Batgirlfilm, in which she was cast as the lead. The behind-the-scenes footage was uploaded after Warner Bros. management scrapped the nearly completed film.
Based on the comic book character and occasionalBatmansidekick of the same name from DC comics, theBatgirlmovie was set to chronicle the adventures of Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon, a longtime ally of Batman. Sharing her father’s sense of justice but not his commitment to the authorities, she takes up a more direct role in helping Batman fight crime. The character is very well-loved, andmany fans sawBatgirlas important. However, fans would never get to see the movie for themselves, as its planned HBO Max release was scrapped at the whim of CEO David Zaslav, who favored more of a spectacle for the DCEU’s future releases.
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Over the weekend, Grace took to the social media platformTikTokto post 2 separate montages of her time working on the project, one backed by Omar Apollo’s “Evergreen” and the other with a song written and performed by the star herself. In the videos, fans can see the actress in makeup, goofing around backstage, and even pulling off some impressive combat choreography, making it clear whyBatgirlsupposedly got a positive receptionfrom its first test audiences. The captions were also quite moving, with the talented performer saying in one that she couldn’t resist and explaining in the other that she had written the song before she knew what was in store for her.
Grace,like many of herBatgirlco-stars, had previously addressed the cancelation soon after it was announced. “On the heels of the recent news about our movieBatgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work, and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland,” she said. “I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To everyBatgirlfan - THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!'”
The cancelation disappointed many fans and confused even those who might not have been aware of the project until the controversy started. Costing the studio a reported $90 million,Batgirlwas already in post-production and could have easily carried on without a theatrical release, becoming available on HBO Max for audiences like previously planned. The move called into question the status of several other projects, as well as questions aboutthe direction of the DCEU as a whole.
Thecontroversy around theBatgirlcancelationand other recent events have not been great PR for the studio or the DCEU, especially as it tries to match up to longtime competitor Marvel Studios and its massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a new mandate to focus on spectacular theatrical releases, audiences can only wait and see what projects that escape the chopping block do for the extended universe.
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