'We Really Had a Good Time Making It': JK Simmons Speaks Out About Canceled Batgirl Movie

JK Simmons isn't thrilled astir the determination to scrap the Batgirl movie.

Speaking connected the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Simmons reflected connected his clip arsenic Commissoner Gordon successful the DC universe. He technically lone played him once, but that wasn't the archetypal plan. Zack Snyder had formed Simmons arsenic the mustached bull successful Justice League, wherever helium had a tiny relation and, presumably, helium besides would've starred successful Ben Affleck's abandoned Batman film. When that fell by the wayside, helium was yet formed successful Batgirl, wherever Michael Keaton would've reprised his relation arsenic the Caped Crusader.

The full movie was changeable and mostly completed, but Warner Bros. scrapped it (along with different projects) successful favour of a taxation write-off. That taxation write-off besides meant that the movie tin ne'er beryllium released. According to Simmons, adjacent helium didn't get to spot it.

"It's bizarre. Apparently, 1 trial assemblage saw it, and, you know, it wasn't similar it was similar a atrocious people from the trial audience. It was a immoderate concern decision, obviously. [...] When Batgirl came along, it was an breathtaking imaginable to beryllium portion of the root communicative of Batgirl. "

Simmons was asked if helium felt the movie was a misfire erstwhile helium was making it, but helium thought it was promising.

"We truly had a bully clip making it and, you know, thought it was going to beryllium a amusive superhero movie," helium said.

Keaton, connected the different hand, joked to GQ successful 2024 that helium didn't attraction 1 mode oregon different due to the fact that helium got paid.

"No, I didn't attraction 1 mode oregon another. Big, fun, bully check," helium joked. "I similar those boys. They're bully guys," helium added astir Batgirl's directing duo, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. "I propulsion for them. I privation them to succeed, and I deliberation they felt precise badly, and that made maine consciousness bad. Me? I'm good."

While immoderate reports person suggested that the film's trial screening didn't spell well, it does look irrational to scrap a movie based connected 1 trial screening. There are immoderate genuinely heinously atrocious superhero films, including ones from DC itself, truthful it's hard to ideate Batgirl being immoderate unsalvagable mess. Maybe it was, but it seems much similar it got caught successful the crossfire of Warner Bros. trying to salvage its ain concern successful immoderate mode it could.

Current DC Studios caput Peter Safran stated aft its cancellation that the Batgirl movie was "not releasable," which whitethorn suggest things were much dire that we could've imagined.

"That movie was not releasable, and it happens sometimes," helium said. "I really deliberation that [president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David] Zaslav and the squad made a precise bold and courageous determination to cancel it due to the fact that it would person wounded DC. It would person wounded those radical involved."

Maybe 1 day, somehow, Batgirl volition spot the airy of day, but it seems highly unlikely. The directors were locked retired of the movie and don't person entree to thing too pictures and videos they took connected set. Although the Snyder Cut besides seemed similar a longshot, determination was a stronger question down it and Snyder himself retained entree to his chopped of the movie aft helium near DC. Not to mention, the DC Universe has been rebooted, truthful it's apt that the existent authorities volition conscionable permission Batgirl successful the past arsenic to debar confusing audiences.

Cade Onder is simply a freelancer for IGN's quality team. He covers each things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You tin find him connected Twitter @Cade_Onder.