WB's BATGIRL Movie Might Actually Get a Theatrical Release
When it was first announced that Warner Bros. and DC were developing a Batgirl movie with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Falla, we learned that the movie was going to be an HBO Max exclusive. Well, it looks like that may be changing.
Warner Bros. executive Toby Emmerich is reportedly considering a theatrical release for Batgirl. The move comes in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar is the one who came up with the strategy to release the movie on HBO Max, but after the merger, he was relieved of his duty and replaced by David Zaslav, who is open to the change.
The news comes from Puck, who reports that Warner Bros. and other studios may also be re-examining their larger streaming strategies in the wake of huge stock losses by Netflix after a relatively small drop in subscribers last quarter.
It totally makes sense for Batgirl to be released in theaters! This seems like it should be a big tentpole movie that fans should be able to enjoy on the big screen. I always thought it was weird that it was going straight to HBO max.
Batgirl stars Leslie Grace, and she is joined by Michael Keaton as Batman, Brendan Fraser as the villain, JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Jacob Scipio is taking on an unknown role.
The script for the film was written by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Birds of Prey). Kristin Burr, who recently worked on Cruella, is producing. Burr said in a previous statement, “With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham. Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject.”
Batgirl is currently expected to hit HBO Max later in 2022, but that could very well change as the studio discusses the best way to release the film.