DC's Cancelled Batgirl Movie Could Release on One Condition, Says Star Jacob Scipio (Exclusive)

One actor from the cancelled Batgirl movie still feels it could see the light of day if one condition is met. Warner Bros. made waves in August 2022, when the studio cancelled the mostly completed Batgirl movie before its anticipated release on HBO Max. Now, more than three years later, there may still be hope that fans will see the work that was put into the film.

Batgirl star Jacob Scipio recently addressed Warner Bros.' cancellation of the scrapped DC movie and spoke on how it could potentially be released. In a conversation with The Direct's Russ Milheim on the red carpet for Amazon MGM Studios' Maintenance Required, Scipio described Batgirl as "a phenomenal film" after getting to see it, while expressing how sad he was that "the world never got to see it." However, he offered a "you never know" at the thought of it eventually being released:

"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."

After The Direct pointed out how John Cena's Coyote V. Acme (also cancelled by Warner Bros.) was saved for release, Scipio expressed his excitement about buying a ticket and seeing the film.

Saying "there's always hope," the Batgirl star held onto the hope that "if enough people want it, it can happen:"

"It was great that they saved ['Coyote V. 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."

Developed for release on HBO Max, Batgirl would have brought the DCEU's first live-action take on Barbara Gordon to take on villains like Firefly and Anthony Bressi. The film would have featured Leslie Grace as Batgirl alongside J.K. Simmons (Commissioner Gordon), Brendan Fraser (Firefly), Jacob Scipio (Anthony Bressi), and Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne). Batgirl was cancelled ahead of its debut on HBO Max, and there are no indications that it will ever be released.

Could Batgirl Ever Be Released After Cancellation?

Fan cries for Batgirl to be released flooded the internet after Warner Bros. unceremoniously cancelled the film's release, particularly when it was so close to being finished. Marvel star Simu Liu was one of many to slam Warner Bros. for the decision, and others were not nearly as kind in criticising the studio for taking the film off the release slate.

This film may have gotten the opportunity to explore the DC multiverse more extensively before James Gunn took over as DC Studios co-CEO, as detailed exclusively to The Direct by directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah. Taking the excitement about the cast alone into consideration, with Michael Keaton returning to his Bruce Wayne and '90s icon Brendan Fraser joining the mix, the stage was set for a film that fans of all generations could get behind.

Unfortunately, after Warner Bros. cancelled the film to take a tax write-off, the studio has not made any mention of a plan to release Batgirl to the public. The company even went so far as to block El Arbi and Fallah from accessing the movie's production server immediately following the cancellation, making it clear that they did not want any material to come to light.

In the months following Batgirl's cancellation, Grace discussed the potential for a sequel to be made, which would seemingly mean fans may see the original project at some point. While updates have yet to come on any kind of release plan, should fans back Scipio's feelings and push for the film to get its overdue debut, as Scipio said, "it can happen."