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We’ll all remember where we were on August 2nd, 2022 at around 2 PM. I was laying in bed staring at a wall, you know, as you do, when I get a notification on my phone from my group chat. “Streets is saying the Batgirl movie is canceled.” I clutched my pearls like Martha Wayne. No, this couldn’t be. Then I went to Twitter, where the timeline was ablaze like the entirety of Arkham Asylum had just escaped. It was true, and I couldn’t believe it. The number one trending topic was Batgirl, and when I clicked on it, my eyes widened. ‘“Batgirl’ and ‘Scoob!: Holiday Haunt’ Scrapped at Warner Bros. Amid Cost-Savings Push.”
Is it silly that this is such a big deal to a lot of people? Maybe. At the end of the day, it’s a movie, and sure, there are more important things in the world. But there are a bunch of reasons why it’s something that people will be scratching their heads over for the foreseeable future.
So let’s go over the how’s and the why’s and air out our frustration.
Another Bat-Movie?
Listen, my aversion to Bat-centric anything is well documented. I have stated on many occasions that Batman and Gotham, or anything adjacent to that, is being milked for all that it’s worth. And I still mean that, but I’d have been lying to you if Batgirl didn’t seem like a fresh new direction while still having that ever-recognizable symbol light the path.
The movie, at least aesthetically, seemed to be taking inspiration from Batgirl’s time in Burnside, a neighborhood of Gotham from the famous 2014 run that redesigned and revitalized the character. She was donning that dope purple leather suit, and a cowl that personally is one of the best bat-cowls we’ve seen in live action.
When they first announced this movie, especially on the heels of the success of the Harley Quinn movie, I was pretty excited. Warner Bros. handling of their DC Cinematic Universe has been rocky to say the least with big and bombastic blockbusters that are all flash and little substance. Within the past few years, they seemed to be righting the ship a bit.
When Batgirl was first announced, it was stated that it would be an HBO Max exclusive, forgoing the theater entirely. If the pandemic did anything, it proved that people are willing to watch movies at home, and we’ve seen a huge shift toward that trend with big studios putting their films on their streaming services outright, or really soon after it’s theatrical run.
I remember at the time, the news that Batgirl was going straight to streaming sparked a conversation about whether or not that meant that DC wasn’t as invested in the character as they would have been if they had given it a run in movie theaters. And it’s true, putting a movie on a streaming service without it ever being in theaters is much less of a risk than releasing it and there being a possibility of a flop. But Batgirl had a $90 million budget (which we’ll get into a bit later). It would have made that money back and then some.
Either way you look at it, this was a sign that things were changing for movies, and big franchises in general, that we could get a mid to high-budget film made specifically to be watched at home. That’s not inherently a bad thing.
Still Connected
DC has taken an interesting approach the past few years to their films. While they would still have a dedicated universe centered on interconnectivity, not everything that they released with their characters would be in the same world. Recent examples like the Joker movie, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman, show these characters in their own bubbles, unaffected, and unknown to anything else happening. It’s a way for stories to be more grounded and not have to worry about what another director may be doing with an unrelated character. It may all be a bit confusing, but for better or for worse, it’s kind of worked.
Even though some of these movies stood on their own, Batgirl was going to be a part of this ongoing interconnected universe, which is one of the things that makes this so frustrating. This wasn’t some one-off movie that you could argue “didn’t matter”. It was a new direction with some real promise.
One of the cooler things about it was that it also featured Batman, because why would you pass up that opportunity? But it wasn’t Ben Affleck’s Batman (Sorry Snyderverse fans), it was the OG 1989 Caped Crusader himself, Michael Keaton. Rumors speculated that he would be a mentor for Batgirl, passing the torch so to speak to a younger generation.
Michael Keaton also filmed scenes for his version of Batman for the Flash movie which is primed to reset the DCEU and set them in a different direction. All signs pointed to Michael Keaton’s Batman as the prime Batman of that universe, which means Batgirl would be taking place in that new world.
But with its cancellation, and confirmation that Ben Affleck is filming scenes with his version of Batman for Aquaman 2, who the hell knows what’s happening anymore?
Racism
The Batgirl movie has received a lot of backlash since it was announced. The aforementioned Snyderverse fans were livid that the vision of their lord and savior Zack Snyder was being put aside in favor of a new direction. Along with that also came racism.
You knew this was coming, right? You had to have known this was coming.
Off the heels of last summer’s In the Heights, Leslie Grace was cast as Barbera Gordon aka Batgirl, and sweaty nerds lost their ever-loving minds. Why? Well in the comics, Barbera Gordon is a white woman. Leslie Grace is Afro Latinx. So in the minds of many a nerd, this was another instance of forced wokeness and politically correct pandering, and they let their feelings be known.
Despite all of that, the film persevered, and filming commenced. I think amongst everything else, that’s what’s been one of the harder pills to swallow regarding all of this. This was a film about a popular character led by a woman of color, and now it’s not happening in a seemingly unprecedented turn of events. Those sweaty, racist “fans” get to feel vindicated for their frustrations and are all over the internet spewing hatred and vitriol in the form of trolling and laughing about the demise of this film in unrelated comment sections. It’s really sad, and no one who works on this film deserves that negativity being hurled at them.
Taxes???
So now let’s talk about why this happened, even if we’ll never really understand it completely. To look at this specifically from a logical standpoint, movies are an investment in money for a company. They spend an exorbitant amount of money to make an even more exorbitant amount of money. The budget for Batgirl was $90 million, and to be considered a successful investment, it would have needed to make at least double that amount. Things get murky when streaming is involved because the traditional money-making process isn’t there. But that just meant that Warner Bros. Discovery could have released it theatrically unlike what was previously planned, but they deemed the movie to not be representative of the future of the DC film franchise, so they’re shelving it.
Warner Bros. was recently bought by Discovery, and that’s who is now running things and making all the decisions. Unfortunately, when a new boss comes in, changes are always made. Everyone wants to make their mark and first impressions. But we’ve seen executives come in and axe movies before. It always sucks, but it’s nothing new.
The reason this is such a big deal is that Batgirl wasn’t some movie that was recently greenlit or had a script that was being worked on. For all intents and purposes, it was a complete movie, at least from a principal photography standpoint.
I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the film industry, but I can’t remember a time when that’s happened before, specifically because of what I mentioned about company’s using movies as an investment in more money. Warner Bros. Discovery had already invested $90 million on Batgirl, and that money was spent, so canceling it means that money has gone down the drain… or has it?
After the initial reports of the cancellation, reports started coming out that there’s some stipulation that if a movie is never released, then Warner Brothers. Discovery can write off the money spent on making the movie in their taxes, which is absolutely insane. But that seems to be what’s happening here. It’s incredibly disheartening to see how cutthroat the business side of filmmaking can be, and it hurts to see that all of these talented people who poured their hearts and souls into this film are never going to reap the benefits and get the recognition they deserve, all so a faceless company with a new regime can recoup some lost rewards. It’s ugly.
Batgirl seems to just be the beginning, unfortunately, as Warner Bros. Discovery has been on a killing spree the past few days, canceling other movies in active development, and announcing that HBO Max will be slashed and folded into Discovery+ next summer. It’s bleak out here for creatives with unique visions trying to navigate a capitalistic hellscape. This business always has murky waters, but it seems to be choppier than ever as of late. Hopefully in the next few years, firmer rules for what can and can’t be done past a certain point of production can be set into place so things like this don’t become more of a norm.
Who knows if we’ll ever see Batgirl, but we can hope. Maybe if we just never shut up about it, they’ll see how much they might be missing out on making money. Hey, it worked for the Snyderverse, it can happen here, too. We are what these company’s want. Or rather our money is. Let’s use that to our advantage.
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The post The Death of Batgirl appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
We’ll all remember where we were on August 2nd, 2022 at around 2 PM. I was laying in bed staring at a wall, you know, as you do, when I get a notification on my phone from my group chat. “Streets is saying the Batgirl movie is canceled.” I clutched my pearls like Martha Wayne. No, this couldn’t be. Then I went to Twitter, where the timeline was ablaze like the entirety of Arkham Asylum had just escaped. It was true, and I couldn’t believe it. The number one trending topic was Batgirl, and when I clicked on it, my eyes widened. ‘“Batgirl’ and ‘Scoob!: Holiday Haunt’ Scrapped at Warner Bros. Amid Cost-Savings Push.”
Is it silly that this is such a big deal to a lot of people? Maybe. At the end of the day, it’s a movie, and sure, there are more important things in the world. But there are a bunch of reasons why it’s something that people will be scratching their heads over for the foreseeable future.
So let’s go over the how’s and the why’s and air out our frustration.
Another Bat-Movie?
Listen, my aversion to Bat-centric anything is well documented. I have stated on many occasions that Batman and Gotham, or anything adjacent to that, is being milked for all that it’s worth. And I still mean that, but I’d have been lying to you if Batgirl didn’t seem like a fresh new direction while still having that ever-recognizable symbol light the path.
The movie, at least aesthetically, seemed to be taking inspiration from Batgirl’s time in Burnside, a neighborhood of Gotham from the famous 2014 run that redesigned and revitalized the character. She was donning that dope purple leather suit, and a cowl that personally is one of the best bat-cowls we’ve seen in live action.
When they first announced this movie, especially on the heels of the success of the Harley Quinn movie, I was pretty excited. Warner Bros. handling of their DC Cinematic Universe has been rocky to say the least with big and bombastic blockbusters that are all flash and little substance. Within the past few years, they seemed to be righting the ship a bit.
When Batgirl was first announced, it was stated that it would be an HBO Max exclusive, forgoing the theater entirely. If the pandemic did anything, it proved that people are willing to watch movies at home, and we’ve seen a huge shift toward that trend with big studios putting their films on their streaming services outright, or really soon after it’s theatrical run.
I remember at the time, the news that Batgirl was going straight to streaming sparked a conversation about whether or not that meant that DC wasn’t as invested in the character as they would have been if they had given it a run in movie theaters. And it’s true, putting a movie on a streaming service without it ever being in theaters is much less of a risk than releasing it and there being a possibility of a flop. But Batgirl had a $90 million budget (which we’ll get into a bit later). It would have made that money back and then some.
Either way you look at it, this was a sign that things were changing for movies, and big franchises in general, that we could get a mid to high-budget film made specifically to be watched at home. That’s not inherently a bad thing.
Still Connected
DC has taken an interesting approach the past few years to their films. While they would still have a dedicated universe centered on interconnectivity, not everything that they released with their characters would be in the same world. Recent examples like the Joker movie, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman, show these characters in their own bubbles, unaffected, and unknown to anything else happening. It’s a way for stories to be more grounded and not have to worry about what another director may be doing with an unrelated character. It may all be a bit confusing, but for better or for worse, it’s kind of worked.
Even though some of these movies stood on their own, Batgirl was going to be a part of this ongoing interconnected universe, which is one of the things that makes this so frustrating. This wasn’t some one-off movie that you could argue “didn’t matter”. It was a new direction with some real promise.
One of the cooler things about it was that it also featured Batman, because why would you pass up that opportunity? But it wasn’t Ben Affleck’s Batman (Sorry Snyderverse fans), it was the OG 1989 Caped Crusader himself, Michael Keaton. Rumors speculated that he would be a mentor for Batgirl, passing the torch so to speak to a younger generation.
Michael Keaton also filmed scenes for his version of Batman for the Flash movie which is primed to reset the DCEU and set them in a different direction. All signs pointed to Michael Keaton’s Batman as the prime Batman of that universe, which means Batgirl would be taking place in that new world.
But with its cancellation, and confirmation that Ben Affleck is filming scenes with his version of Batman for Aquaman 2, who the hell knows what’s happening anymore?
Racism
The Batgirl movie has received a lot of backlash since it was announced. The aforementioned Snyderverse fans were livid that the vision of their lord and savior Zack Snyder was being put aside in favor of a new direction. Along with that also came racism.
You knew this was coming, right? You had to have known this was coming.
Off the heels of last summer’s In the Heights, Leslie Grace was cast as Barbera Gordon aka Batgirl, and sweaty nerds lost their ever-loving minds. Why? Well in the comics, Barbera Gordon is a white woman. Leslie Grace is Afro Latinx. So in the minds of many a nerd, this was another instance of forced wokeness and politically correct pandering, and they let their feelings be known.
Despite all of that, the film persevered, and filming commenced. I think amongst everything else, that’s what’s been one of the harder pills to swallow regarding all of this. This was a film about a popular character led by a woman of color, and now it’s not happening in a seemingly unprecedented turn of events. Those sweaty, racist “fans” get to feel vindicated for their frustrations and are all over the internet spewing hatred and vitriol in the form of trolling and laughing about the demise of this film in unrelated comment sections. It’s really sad, and no one who works on this film deserves that negativity being hurled at them.
Taxes???
So now let’s talk about why this happened, even if we’ll never really understand it completely. To look at this specifically from a logical standpoint, movies are an investment in money for a company. They spend an exorbitant amount of money to make an even more exorbitant amount of money. The budget for Batgirl was $90 million, and to be considered a successful investment, it would have needed to make at least double that amount. Things get murky when streaming is involved because the traditional money-making process isn’t there. But that just meant that Warner Bros. Discovery could have released it theatrically unlike what was previously planned, but they deemed the movie to not be representative of the future of the DC film franchise, so they’re shelving it.
Warner Bros. was recently bought by Discovery, and that’s who is now running things and making all the decisions. Unfortunately, when a new boss comes in, changes are always made. Everyone wants to make their mark and first impressions. But we’ve seen executives come in and axe movies before. It always sucks, but it’s nothing new.
The reason this is such a big deal is that Batgirl wasn’t some movie that was recently greenlit or had a script that was being worked on. For all intents and purposes, it was a complete movie, at least from a principal photography standpoint.
I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the film industry, but I can’t remember a time when that’s happened before, specifically because of what I mentioned about company’s using movies as an investment in more money. Warner Bros. Discovery had already invested $90 million on Batgirl, and that money was spent, so canceling it means that money has gone down the drain… or has it?
After the initial reports of the cancellation, reports started coming out that there’s some stipulation that if a movie is never released, then Warner Brothers. Discovery can write off the money spent on making the movie in their taxes, which is absolutely insane. But that seems to be what’s happening here. It’s incredibly disheartening to see how cutthroat the business side of filmmaking can be, and it hurts to see that all of these talented people who poured their hearts and souls into this film are never going to reap the benefits and get the recognition they deserve, all so a faceless company with a new regime can recoup some lost rewards. It’s ugly.
Batgirl seems to just be the beginning, unfortunately, as Warner Bros. Discovery has been on a killing spree the past few days, canceling other movies in active development, and announcing that HBO Max will be slashed and folded into Discovery+ next summer. It’s bleak out here for creatives with unique visions trying to navigate a capitalistic hellscape. This business always has murky waters, but it seems to be choppier than ever as of late. Hopefully in the next few years, firmer rules for what can and can’t be done past a certain point of production can be set into place so things like this don’t become more of a norm.
Who knows if we’ll ever see Batgirl, but we can hope. Maybe if we just never shut up about it, they’ll see how much they might be missing out on making money. Hey, it worked for the Snyderverse, it can happen here, too. We are what these company’s want. Or rather our money is. Let’s use that to our advantage.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!
The post The Death of Batgirl appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
BURBANK, Calif., (July 14, 2022) – Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are prepping for Disney’s D23 Expo 2022 presented by Visa in Anaheim, California—a three-day extravaganza that kicks off September 9. Plans are underway at the animation powerhouses for an exciting weekend of announcements, first looks, sneak peeks, and presentations surrounding upcoming feature films and streaming titles—plus interactive displays, artist autograph signings, sharable photo opportunities, filmmaker Q&As, and giveaways.
LOOKING AHEAD WITH THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
Friday, September 9, 3:30 p.m., Hall D23
Disney Animation and Pixar are teaming up with Disney Live Action on Friday afternoon, welcoming thousands of Disney fans to Hall D23 for a special look at upcoming films and series. Pixar Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee will present never-before-seen footage, surprise announcements, musical performances, and appearances by all-star voice talent from the studios’ upcoming slate of original animated films and series. Fans will get an insider’s view at Pixar’s unique, perspective-shifting, long-form series Win or Lose, which launches on Disney+ next year. Pixar’s Peter Sohn, who helms the 2023 feature Elemental, will transport fans to a city where fire-, water-, land-, and air-residents live side by side. Disney Animation’s Academy Award®-winning director Don Hall will journey alongside fans deep into an uncharted and treacherous land with Strange World—releasing November 23—and Disney Animation and their collaborators from the Pan-African comic book company Kugali will reveal new details about Iwájú, a long-form sci-fi series set in Lagos, Nigeria, that launches on Disney+ next year. Cell phones, cameras, and all recording devices will be checked for this presentation.
SHOW FLOOR
September 9 through 11, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
As Walt Disney Animation Studios kicks off its 100-year anniversary celebration, the studio will showcase its past, present, and future throughout D23 Expo 2022. They’ll team up once again with Pixar Animation Studios on the show floor, creating an immersive animation experience for fans. The studios’ upcoming original feature films, including Disney Animation’s Strange World, releasing this November, and Pixar’s June 2023 release, Elemental, will be highlighted. A six-foot-tall red panda will greet fans, celebrating Pixar’s Turning Red, now streaming on Disney+, and a photo op with Buzz Lightyear and his robot companion cat Sox from the now-in-theaters film Lightyear will be available. Disney Animation will invite guests into the realms of Strange World, Encanto, and more through engaging photo experiences. Fans will also get opportunities to meet the teams behind the series and movies, with autograph signings of exclusive art and promotional item giveaways.
ANIMATION PANELS
Friday, September 9
“traceback”: Celebrating the People of Walt Disney Animation Studios is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.– 12:45 p.m. on the Hyperion Stage.
- The Walt Disney Animation Research Library presents “traceback,” a look at the lives and work as well as the artistic and technical contributions of women and employees of color throughout the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Saturday, September 10
A Century of Storytelling at Walt Disney Animation Studios is scheduled for 2–3 p.m. on the Walt Disney Archives Stage.
- The Walt Disney Animation Research Library celebrates 100 years of Disney Animation storytelling by highlighting the stories and people behind key art and artifacts in its collection.
A Celebration of Disney Animation’s “Encanto” will take place from 3:30–4:30 p.m. on the Premiere Stage.
- Join the team behind Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning hit Encanto for stories behind the making of the film—and a few surprises!
Sneak Peek at “Zootopia+” from Walt Disney Animation Studios will take place from 6–7 p.m. on the Backlot Stage.
- Get a first look at the highly anticipated animated series Zootopia+, coming to Disney+ from Walt Disney Animation Studios, with directors Josie Trinidad and Trent Correy.
Sunday, September 11
100 Years of Treasures from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library is scheduled for 2–3 p.m. on the Backlot Stage.
- Never-before-seen clips, recording sessions, and live-action reference mark 100 years of Walt Disney Animation Studios as the Animation Research Library unveils newly digitized media from its collection and from its Oral History Project, in which the legends of animation have been interviewed.
A limited number of single-day tickets for Sunday of D23 Expo 2022 are available for $99 for one-day adult admission and $79 for children ages 3–12. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $89 for one-day Sunday adult admission. Single-day Friday and Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2022, visit D23Expo.com.
AboutWaltDisneyAnimationStudios
Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. Disney Animation continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully animated feature film, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2019’s Frozen 2, the biggest animated film of all time, to our 60th animated feature, Encanto. Among the studio’s timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Zootopia.
AboutPixarAnimationStudios
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative, and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. The Northern California studio has created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, Brave, Inside Out, Coco, Soul, and Luca. Its movies and technology have won 40 Academy Awards®, and the films have grossed more than $14 billion at the worldwide box office. Lightyear, Pixar’s 26th feature, released in theaters on June 17, 2022.
About D23 Expo 2022
D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, streaming, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2022 news, visit D23Expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.
About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 99-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com, with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.
Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($99.99), Gold Duo Membership ($129.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The post Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios To Share Never-Before-Seen Footage and Experiences at Disney’s D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim, Calif. September 9 Through 11 appeared first on The Nerd Element.