There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the news that Warner Bros. Discovery was canceling the release of “Batgirl” and permanently shelving the film as a way of saving money and getting a tax write-down. Well, in all of the discussion, we haven’t really heard from the person at the center of the situation, Leslie Grace, the actress signed to play Batgirl in the film. But now, she’s speaking up, and the actress is here to defend the unreleased film as the new DC Studios CEOs call it “not releasable.”
Speaking to Variety, Leslie Grace was asked quite a bit about “Batgirl” and her feelings about the film getting shelved. As you might expect, the actress wasn’t pleased with the announcement (which she found out about at the same time as the general public), but she is still proud of the work done and doesn’t want anyone to think the film was going to damage the DC brand.
Specifically, Grace was asked about DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran’s comments about how “Batgirl” was “unreleasable” and would damage the DC film brand if it was released in theaters as it was intended. When anyone hears those words, they automatically take that to mean “Batgirl” is a terrible film and everything about it is embarrassing, and rightfully so. However, Grace’s reaction to those comments is a bit more complicated.
“I had my own meetings with Warner Bros. Film Group CEOs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, and they explained to me, on a granular level, what they felt about the project, things that were out of their hands, plans and budgets that were set in place before they were even part of the team,” explained Grace. “There are a lot of things that I learned through the experience about moviemaking, that as an actress you have no control over. They weren’t really specific on anything creative in terms of what they felt about the film and how it would’ve hurt DC creatively. But I’m a human being, and people have perceptions and people read things. And when words are expressed very lightly about work that people really dedicated a lot of time to — not just myself but the whole crew — I can understand how it could be frustrating.”
And while the general public will likely never see “Batgirl,” Grace wanted the opportunity to see the current cut of the film, after a grueling seven-month shoot. And as a counter to all of those people claiming the film isn’t good, the actress wants everyone to know “Batgirl,” even unfinished,” is “incredible.”
“That’s the one thing I asked for. I got to see the film as far as it got to; the film wasn’t complete by the time that it was tested,” said Grace. “There were a bunch of scenes that weren’t even in there. They were at the beginning of the editing process, and they were cut off because of everything going on at the company. But the film that I got to see — the scenes that were there — was incredible. There was definitely potential for a good film, in my opinion. Maybe we’ll get to see clips of it later on.”
Of course, it doesn’t appear that Grace’s iteration of Batgirl has a future in the current DCU plans, with Safran and James Gunn basically rewriting much of the previous history and rebooting. That said, if Batgirl does show up, Grace would be interested in reclaiming the role, but she is far from positive that it might actually happen.
“We’ve definitely had conversations about Batgirl’s future and how Batgirl can make a resurgence,” she said. “I think fans are looking forward to seeing that. We’ll just see where that takes us; I can’t say one way or the other if that is a reality at this point. I can’t speak too much about a future for Batgirl or guarantee anything. The last thing that I would want to do is give folks any kind of inkling of something that I have not much control over — as we’ve learned.”
Sadly, “Batgirl” won’t ever get a release, so we’re likely never going to see the results of the work she put into the role. That said, Gunn and Safran are building a Bat-family of films building from “The Brave and the Bold,” so maybe Grace can finally get her chance in the role. We shall see.