Warner Bros. is trying to reconcile with Batgirl’s cast and crew, including star Leslie Grace, after controversially canceling the movie.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery still wants to keep Leslie Grace as Batgirl in the DCEU after pulling the plug on her solo movie recently. The studio axed the nearly finished, $90 million-priced Batgirl as part of its “cost-cutting” measures, and the poor test scores didn’t help either. Although, some reports suggest that the test audience score of Batgirl was the same as that of Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but WBD just didn’t want to spend any more money on the film to tweak it and canceled it altogether.

The unprecedented move has shocked not only the fans but also the film industry, with everyone wondering how a studio could scrap a movie as big as Batgirl and still keep its financials intact. WBD will apparently receive a tax write-off for Batgirl. But as the studio continues to clean house, its controversial decisions have taken a hit on its reputation, and WBD seems to be in damage control mode now.
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As reported by Variety, new Warner Bros. Pictures Group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are “seeking to mend fences with Batgirl star Leslie Grace.” They want her to continue playing Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in future DC projects or at least star in another Warner Bros. production. Grace previously worked with the studio on her film debut, In the Heights.

Related: Following Batgirl’s Cancellation, Will DCEU Fans Support The Flash?

Will Leslie Grace Return as Batgirl Or Work With Warner Bros. Again?

Adil El Arbi/Instagram

While Batgirl has been called “irredeemable” and compared to a “bad TV show,” neither Warner Bros. Discovery nor the test audiences found any fault with Leslie Grace’s performance. Her casting as Batgirl was divisive at first, but Grace was finally starting to win over the fans with her enthusiasm for the role. And with Brendan Fraser and Michael Keaton also appearing in the movie, fans were actually looking forward to Batgirl until WB canceled it.

Leslie Grace has been releasing some BTS stuff from Batgirl lately, and it makes it clear just how excited she was to play the iconic DC superhero. It’s a shame we’ll never get to see Batgirl, and Grace probably won’t star in any other movie either or work with the studio again, nor should she, especially after such horrible treatment.

Batgirl directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi have worked for Marvel before, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they permanently shift base to the DC rival. Grace doesn’t have any other films in the pipeline, but her critically acclaimed turn in In the Heights proved that she’s a star in the making.

In the unlikely case that Grace decides to play Batgirl again, it would have to be in a supporting role or a cameo since greenlighting another solo movie could take years and frankly isn’t a viable option either. This scenario doesn’t further her career and would only be a desperate attempt by WBD to restore its reputation. And the studio can’t recast Batgirl either without causing an even bigger PR headache for itself. So, it’s safe to say that Batgirl won’t be making her live-action film debut anytime soon.

Read Warner Bros. Discovery’s official statement on Batgirl’s cancelation below:

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”