Batgirl almost had a film come out, but before the finishing touches could be put on the film, it was cancelled. Instead of getting a theatrical release, DVD release or streaming release, the film wasn't released to the public in any format. I was and still am very upset about the film's cancellation, because I had been looking forward to the film. In fact, it was one of my most anticipated superhero films.
It was going to be Batgirl's first film.
While Batgirl did appear in 1997's Batman and Robin and several animated films, this film was going to be her first time in the spotlight. Barbara Gordon's Batgirl is supposed to be one of the most prominent heroes in the Batman franchise, so throwing away her first film is a big disservice for the character's reputation.
There aren't enough female superhero films.
There are more female-led superhero films coming out than they're used to be, but it's still somewhat uncommon to have a woman be the lead in a superhero film. DC, in particular, hasn't had very many female-led superhero films, so throwing away a film starring one of DC's most important female characters was a huge mistake.
It was lead actress Leslie Grace's second film.
Leslie Grace, who played Batgirl in the film, had only appeared in a film called In the Heights before getting the role of Batgirl. Throwing away this film is a huge disservice to a rising star's career.
The film had Michael Keaton as Batman.
Michael Keaton did a great job as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman films. As a little kid, I wished that he had gotten to play the character more times. When it was announced that Michael Keaton would play Batman in Batgirl, I was hyped. Michael Keaton has a countless number of fans, so throwing away a film that has him playing one of his most iconic roles was a major letdown. If that wasn't bad enough, Michael Keaton was also going to play Batman in the upcoming Aquaman sequel, but his scenes got cut out.
The film had J. K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
J. K. Simmons had played Commissioner Gordon in Justice League for a few scenes. Commissioner Gordon is the father of Barbara Gordon, so this film would have given J. K. Simmons's Commissioner Gordon some much needed time to shine. It's a shame that we may never get to see J. K. Simmons ever play the role again.
The film had Brendan Fraser as Firefly.
Brendan Fraser is a wonderful actor that recently won an Oscar and Firefly is a classic Batman villain, so I was excited to see Brendan Fraser as Firefly. Thanks to the cancellation of this film, we may never get to see what Brendan Fraser would have been like as Firefly. Firefly was going to be the main villain of the film, which would likely have led to the character getting new fans, but now we won't be getting Firefly as the villain anytime soon.
It would have been the first superhero film to have a transgender character.
One of the film's supporting characters was going to be Alysia Yeoh. Alysia is a transgender woman that is friends with Barbara Gordon. Alysia's presence in the comics was a major milestone for representation in superhero comics. It's a shame that she was robbed of her opportunity to do the same in a film.
Overall, I think that cancelling Batgirl was a huge mistake. Since I haven't gotten to see the film, I might not know how it would have turned out. However, from everything that I heard about the film, I have little, if any, doubt that it would have been one of DC's better films.
It was going to be Batgirl's first film.
While Batgirl did appear in 1997's Batman and Robin and several animated films, this film was going to be her first time in the spotlight. Barbara Gordon's Batgirl is supposed to be one of the most prominent heroes in the Batman franchise, so throwing away her first film is a big disservice for the character's reputation.
There aren't enough female superhero films.
There are more female-led superhero films coming out than they're used to be, but it's still somewhat uncommon to have a woman be the lead in a superhero film. DC, in particular, hasn't had very many female-led superhero films, so throwing away a film starring one of DC's most important female characters was a huge mistake.
It was lead actress Leslie Grace's second film.
Leslie Grace, who played Batgirl in the film, had only appeared in a film called In the Heights before getting the role of Batgirl. Throwing away this film is a huge disservice to a rising star's career.
The film had Michael Keaton as Batman.
Michael Keaton did a great job as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman films. As a little kid, I wished that he had gotten to play the character more times. When it was announced that Michael Keaton would play Batman in Batgirl, I was hyped. Michael Keaton has a countless number of fans, so throwing away a film that has him playing one of his most iconic roles was a major letdown. If that wasn't bad enough, Michael Keaton was also going to play Batman in the upcoming Aquaman sequel, but his scenes got cut out.
The film had J. K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
J. K. Simmons had played Commissioner Gordon in Justice League for a few scenes. Commissioner Gordon is the father of Barbara Gordon, so this film would have given J. K. Simmons's Commissioner Gordon some much needed time to shine. It's a shame that we may never get to see J. K. Simmons ever play the role again.
The film had Brendan Fraser as Firefly.
Brendan Fraser is a wonderful actor that recently won an Oscar and Firefly is a classic Batman villain, so I was excited to see Brendan Fraser as Firefly. Thanks to the cancellation of this film, we may never get to see what Brendan Fraser would have been like as Firefly. Firefly was going to be the main villain of the film, which would likely have led to the character getting new fans, but now we won't be getting Firefly as the villain anytime soon.
It would have been the first superhero film to have a transgender character.
One of the film's supporting characters was going to be Alysia Yeoh. Alysia is a transgender woman that is friends with Barbara Gordon. Alysia's presence in the comics was a major milestone for representation in superhero comics. It's a shame that she was robbed of her opportunity to do the same in a film.
Overall, I think that cancelling Batgirl was a huge mistake. Since I haven't gotten to see the film, I might not know how it would have turned out. However, from everything that I heard about the film, I have little, if any, doubt that it would have been one of DC's better films.
