The DC film Batgirl, which was scheduled to be released on HBO Max later this year, has been shelved. Warner Bros. Discovery announced they will no longer be releasing the film, starring Leslie Grace in the title role.  Batgirl was directed by ‘Bad Boys for Life’ filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.

The announcement comes after the project, which costs nearly $90 million to make due to COVID-19 protocols, had already completed shooting. Grace, 27, was set to make her return to the big screen as Batgirl after her breakthrough role in the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights. Michael Keaton was also set to return to his Batman role, and the Batgirl cast also included Brendan Fraser as villain Firefly, and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.

Insiders say that Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav believed Batgirl “simply did not work,” adding that the decision had nothing to do with the cast or directors.  It is also rumored that Warner Bros. made the decision on Batgirl due to its desire to refocus on theatrical releases rather than creating movies for HBO Max.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com