A collective gasp resounded through Hollywood when it was announced last week that the much-awaited Batgirl movie, budgeted at $90 million, had been shelved. The canning of a movie is, of course, not a rare occurrence in and of itself. But considering that the film is practically completed, with actress Leslie Grace (In the Heights) in the lead role of Batgirl/Barbara Gordon already embarking on a promotional campaign giving interviews, this kind of cancellation doesn’t happen every day. All signs point to Warner Bros. cutting their losses on a film they perceive won’t perform well at the box office.

The cancellation, of course, impacted directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) and, of course, the cast. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is also responsible for canceling additional movies Scoob: Holiday Haunt and Wonder Twins. The decision came after the announcement on August 4 by Warner Bros. Discovery that HBO Max and Discovery+ would merge into one streaming service launching in the summer of 2023.

Collider reported that Zaslav said during a Warner Bros. investor call, “The objective is to grow the DC brand and the characters, but, just as importantly, to protect the DC brand. We’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it, particularly with DC.” He said, finally, “We’re not going to release a film before it’s ready.” He also added that his goal was to save the company $3 billion via cost cuts and consolidations. Batgirl’s price tag had ballooned to a reportedly hefty $90 million due to Covid restrictions.

According to the New York Post, the poor test screenings were described by a source as “irredeemable.” This left Warner Bros. Discovery between a rock and a hard place. HBO Max intended to release a few films set in the DCEU exclusively on their platform, and Batgirl would have spearheaded further DC projects.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that DC Films president Walter Hamada (who oversaw the releases of Joker, Shazam!, Birds of Prey) was informed of the cancellation while at a test screening of Black Adam, and told that the film wasn’t strong enough to release theatrically and was too expensive for a streaming release.

Under pressure to cut costs, WB Pictures Group co-chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy made the choice to take a tax write-off. It was also revealed that none of the cast or representatives were informed of the decision ahead of the New York Post breaking the news.

The directors have received much love and support from the industry, including Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige. Arbi wrote on Instagram, “Thanks for all the messages of support from all over the world. Shoutout to directors Edgar Wright and James Gunn, your kind words and experience mean a lot and have helped us through this difficult period.”

Leslie Grace, 27, also took to social media, posting on Instagram, “On the heels of the recent news about our movie Batgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work, and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over seven months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process!” She added, “To every Batgirl fan THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero.’”

The project co-starred J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon, and the film would have marked Brendan Fraser’s comeback in the role of the villain Firefly.

While panic has set in among fans and filmmakers concerned that Batgirl is just the first of many films to suffer the same fate, on CBR.com James Gunn reassured fans that Peacemaker, the sequel to The Suicide Squad, will not be on the chopping block. Perhaps Hollywood should take heed of Gunn’s message on Twitter, when he assured fans, “Guys, calm down.”