According to a recent report from the newsletter Puck, Warner Bros. is currently debating whether or not to release their upcoming film Batgirl in theaters.
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According to Puck’s Matthew Belloni, the news comes in part both due to the recent Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, as well as the recent success of select superhero films in movie theaters. The report specifically mentions The Batman’s strong showing in theaters — where it earned more than $750 million in theaters and debuted to strong praise — as a potential reason for Batgirl possibly shifting over.
The report also goes on to mention Netflix’s recent issues as a potential reason why Warner Bros. might be rethinking its strategy of going “all-in” on streaming. With Netflix recently seeing its first drop in subscribers in over a decade, Belloni mentions that new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav may be rethinking their initial strategy of looking to deliver all of their content to streaming services.
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The Batgirl film stars Leslie Grace (In the Heights) as she portrays the role of Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon. The hero was first seen in the 1967 Batman series with the late Yvonne Craig playing Barbara. Her first comic book appearance was in Detective Comics #357 by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino.
The live-action film also features the return of Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) and Michael Keaton (The Flash), who are set to reprise their respective roles of Commissioner Gordon, and Bruce Wayne/ Batman. Additional cast includes Jacob Scipio, Ethan Kai, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front, and Brendan Fraser in his second role with the DC Universe as the villain Firefly.
Batgirl is being directed by Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a screenplay written by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, The Flash). It is a production by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films, with Kristin Burr (Cruella) producing.
