Batgirl star Leslie Grace has responded on social media to Warner Bros. delayed the DC movie, but her words weren’t bitter words, just gratitude that it’s on the way.
“Querida familia! With the recent news about our Batgirl film, I’m proud of the love, hard work and intent all of our amazing cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and built lifelong relationships in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and faith that allowed me to take the plunge and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!” Batgirl for life!” wrote the CAA-repped actress.
The post also contains a gallery of images and videos from the filming of the film.
Grace won the role of Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, after a final round that featured Isabella Merced, Zoe Deutch and Haley Lou Richardson, as Deadline’s Justin Kroll first reported. Her previous credits include Warner Bros. In The Heights, in which she played the role of Nina Rosario.
Grace’s response comes after the DC pic’s directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah said this morning that they were “saddened and shocked by the news” and that it was “critical that our work be shown to the public.” As Deadline told you yesterday, the duo first learned the news when they were in Morocco for El Arbi’s wedding.
News leaked yesterday that Warner Bros Discovery had killed off Batgirl, two days before its quarterly earnings, to take advantage of the “purchase accounting” maneuver available to the conglomerate given the fact that the company recently changed hands. That option expires in mid-August and allows WBD to avoid having to carry the losses on its books at a time when the studio is trying to find $3 billion in cost-saving synergies; this particular movie cost about $70 million.
Some of our sources are scratching their heads at this reasoning: How much money can Warners save here? $15M-$20M at most by some – which is nothing when you’re aiming for $3B. Also, if Batgirl goes straight to HBO Max, how can anyone determine if it’s a success or a failure? HBO Max largely doesn’t count viewership for its series and movies.
Other reasons why Warner Bros. Discovery dropped Batgirl include their refocusing on non-streaming movie distribution, which was the plan under WarnerMedia’s previous Jason Killar regime. In addition, Batgirl’s arrival on HBO Max would dovetail with DC’s multiverse plan laid out with The Flash, which hits theaters on July 23, 2023.
While the optics of killing off a Latina-starring film seems abhorrent to Warner Bros Discovery, they released a statement last night saying, “The decision not to release Batgirl reflects a strategic shift by our leadership as it relates to the DC Universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is no reflection on her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the creators of the film Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
The following tweet from Grace, dated January 14, was attached to the top of her account celebrating Batgirl earlier this year and quoted Batgirl, Year One, who wrote “I’m using their expectations against them. This will be their weakness. It’s not mine. Let them all underestimate me… And when their guard is down and their pride is up, let me kick their asses.”
“I use their expectations against them. This will be their weakness. It’s not mine. Let everyone underestimate me…
And when their guard is down and their pride is up, let me kick their asses.” – Batgirl, Year One 🦇 pic.twitter.com/gbIA5EbcUK
— Leslie Grace (@lesliegrace) January 15, 2022
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