Is there a chance that Warner Bros.’ scrapped Batgirl may be seen after all? Probably not, but for now, we can go with the glimmer of hope offered by actor Jacob Scipio, as he still believes fans may get to see the film someday.
Batgirl was set to be released early in 2023 and would have seen Leslie Grace donning the cape and taking on Brendan Fraser’s Firefly. Not only that but, at the time, the film would have featured the return of Michael Keaton in the role of Batman (which he would instead do in The Flash later that year), and Justice League’s J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. However, the film was said to be “unreleaseable” according to sources, and the film was shelved as a tax write off instead.
That pretty much makes it final that no one will be getting to see Batgirl on either the big or small screen, despite the outcry of fans. According to The Direct’s interview with Scipio, Batgirl was “phenomenal,” and he believes there is “always hope” that somehow, the film could be released in some way. He said:
“I got the chance to watch it, and it was a phenomenal film. Man, I’m really sad the world never got to see it. But you know, you never know. You never know. It was great that they saved [Coyote vs. Acme] I’m gonna have a ticket and be buying my ticket and seeing that movie myself. So, there’s always hope. Hollywood’s a funny place, and I think if enough people want it, it can happen.”
‘Batgirl’ Is Very Unlikely to Ever Be Released
Everyone loves a good fan campaign and several movies and TV shows have stirred up strong feelings in the last several years. One obvious example is Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was released after years of fan campaigns and petitions to Warner Bros. to correct the “mistakes” made with the original version of the movie released in 2017.
That is certainly not the only instance either. Netflix picked up popular shows like Manifest and Lucifer after they were canceled by their original networks, and when Netflix canceled Warrior Nun, an online fan campaign to bring the show back may yet be successful, as a follow-up has been said to be in the works. Then, of course, there is another Warner Bros. project of Coyote vs. Acme, which was destined to go the same way as Batgirl but never seemed to make it to the scrap heap and was always teetering on the brink until it was finally picked up for distribution by Ketchup Entertainment. Coyote vs. Acme will be released in 2026.
However, when it comes to Batgirl, the film’s status as a studio write-off pretty much seals its fate and no amount of hope is going to change that. The main reason people are still talking about Batgirl is simply a matter of curiosity, mixed with a little nostalgia. Fans wanted to see Michael Keaton playing Batman again, and Batgirl was meant to be his big return. Also in the mix was Brendan Fraser on his way back to Hollywood and his Oscar success in The Whale, another popular actor that people really wanted to see get his teeth into a different kind of role.
Scipio clearly thinks that there is some kind of hope of the movie being released at some point, in some way. Realistically, though, this bat is caged for good and no amount of hope is going to change that.