Filmmaker and geek culture personality Kevin Smith has some choice words for Warner Bros.regarding their decision to cancel the highly anticipatedBatgirlmovie but do nothing about Ezra Miller’sThe Flash.
The news that Warner Bros.wouldnot be releasing theBatgirlmovietook the internet by storm when it was announced last week. Many fans were disappointed that they would never get to see the finished film, and many industry insiders were shocked at the seemingly unprecedented move. While theBatgirlmovie was intended to be released exclusively on HBO Max, the film still had a whopping $90 Million budget and was near completion. Executives at Warner Bros. have cited the lack of blockbuster potential as the reason for the cancellation. However,Varietylater reported that a tax write-off was also likely one of the main reasons behind the decision since the only way the studio could write off the film is if it doesn’t get released in any capacity.
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On the most recent episode of his YouTube show,Hollywood-Babble On, Smith criticized Warner Bros. for its decision to cancel aBatgirlmovie led by a Latina actress(Leslie Grace) while still moving forward withThe Flash,which stars controversial actor Ezra Miller. “It’s an incredibly bad look to cancel the Latina ‘Batgirl’ movie,” Smith said. In regard toThe Flash,he added, “That is the baffling thing. I don’t give a shit how bad the ‘Batgirl’ movie is, nobody in that movie is complicated or has anything in their real life you have to market around. In ‘The Flash’ movie, we all know there’s a big problem! Flash is the Reverse-Flash in real life.”
Some reports have also stated thatBatgirlperformed negatively with test audiences and that since the film was a made-for-TV movie it looked “too cheap” to release in theaters. Many people were skeptical of this, including Smith, who added, “They said ‘Batgirl’ looked too cheap because it was a $90 million movie. How do you make a cheap-looking $90 million movie? If it looked slightly better than an episode of ‘Arrow’ then why couldn’t we see that?” Even more egregious is the fact that the studio ismoving forward withThe Flash,whose leading actor has been the subject of numerous violent and disturbing incidents in recent months.
Smith is just the latest media personality to speak out about the decision. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige shared a message of support toBatgirlfilmmakers Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, who also directed several episodes of Marvel Studios’Disney Plusseries,Ms. Marvel. The recent news also has a lot of fans and filmmakers worried about future streaming projects. Rumors are already swirling regarding theplannedSupergirlmovie, not to mention the dozens of scripted HBO Max series and movies that seem to be at risk under the new management style of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Flashis scheduled to release in theaters on Jun 14, 2025.
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