J.K. Simmons, who played Commissioner Gordon in the shelved Batgirl film, says the cast ‘really had a good time making it’ and expected a fun superhero movie — but even he never saw a finished cut.
- Simmons says the film’s single test screening didn’t score badly, calling the cancellation ‘a whatever business decision’ rather than a quality verdict.
- Warner Bros. Discovery took a tax write-off on the roughly $90 million production in August 2022, which legally blocks any release in cinemas, on streaming, or on home video.
- The directors were locked out of the footage entirely, so a Snyder Cut-style revival is effectively impossible — and DC’s reboot under James Gunn makes it even less likely.
- There’s no legal way to watch Batgirl in the UAE or anywhere else, and no replacement Batgirl project has been announced.
More than three years after Warner Bros. Discovery binned a completed superhero film, J.K. Simmons has finally shared his side of the Batgirl story. Speaking on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the actor — who played Commissioner Gordon opposite Leslie Grace’s Batgirl, Michael Keaton’s Batman and Brendan Fraser’s Firefly — made it clear the cast thought they were making something worth watching.
“We really had a good time making it and, you know, thought it was going to be a fun superhero movie,” Simmons said. More striking is what he revealed about the film’s fate: even he never got to see a cut. “It’s bizarre. Apparently, one test audience saw it, and, you know, it wasn’t like it was like a bad score from the test audience. It was a whatever business decision, obviously.”
Why Batgirl can never be released
Batgirl was fully shot and deep into post-production as an HBO Max original when Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped it in August 2022, part of a post-merger pivot away from mid-budget streaming films towards big theatrical DC releases. Crucially, the studio took a tax write-off on the roughly $90 million production, which legally prevents the film from ever being released — not in cinemas, not on streaming, not on disc, and not via a sale to another platform.
That’s why Simmons’ comment about the test screening matters. Only one screening is reported to have happened, and by his account the scores weren’t the problem. The cancellation reads far more as a balance-sheet decision than an audience one, even if DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran has since described the film as “not releasable” and called cancelling it a “bold and courageous decision” to protect the DC brand.
The cast’s mixed feelings
Simmons is diplomatic, but he’s not the only cast member to weigh in. Brendan Fraser has been openly critical, framing the decision as films being treated as commodified content rather than creative work. Michael Keaton, meanwhile, told GQ in 2024 that he was fine either way — “Big, fun, nice check” — though he added he felt for directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah: “I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad.”
The directors arguably got the roughest deal of anyone. They were locked out of the footage after the decision and retain nothing beyond set photos and personal videos. It’s a pattern that isn’t unique to Hollywood, either — the games industry has its own version, as one actress discovered when she learned her Prince of Persia remake was cancelled from the internet.
Could Batgirl ever see the light of day?
Realistically, no. The Snyder Cut comparison comes up often, but it doesn’t hold: Zack Snyder retained access to his Justice League footage and had a massive fan movement behind him. El Arbi and Fallah have neither. Add the tax treatment, which makes any release a legal problem rather than just a creative one, and the odds sit at effectively zero.
DC’s slate has also moved on under James Gunn and Peter Safran, and the new regime has shown little appetite for revisiting the old continuity — its female-led projects haven’t been entirely smooth sailing either, with Supergirl reportedly hitting creative differences during production. There’s no replacement Batgirl project announced, and any future version of the character would almost certainly be a fresh take rather than a revival of the Leslie Grace film. For now, Batgirl remains that rare thing: a finished $90 million superhero movie that nobody — not even Commissioner Gordon — will ever watch.
FAQ
Why was the Batgirl movie cancelled?
Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped Batgirl in August 2022 as part of a post-merger strategy shift away from mid-budget streaming films towards big theatrical DC releases. The studio took a tax write-off on the roughly $90 million production, which legally prevents the film from ever being released.
Can I watch Batgirl anywhere, including in the UAE?
No. Because of the tax write-off, Batgirl cannot legally be released in cinemas, on streaming, on home video, or sold to another platform. There is no legitimate way to watch it in the UAE or any other market.
Did the Batgirl movie test badly with audiences?
According to J.K. Simmons, the film’s single test screening did not receive a bad score. He described the cancellation as “a whatever business decision”, though DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran has said the completed film was “not releasable”.
Could Batgirl get a Snyder Cut-style release later?
It’s extremely unlikely. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were locked out of the footage and only have set photos and personal videos, unlike Zack Snyder, who retained access to his Justice League cut. The tax write-off also makes any release a legal problem, and DC has since rebooted under James Gunn and Peter Safran.