An anonymous ‘Batgirl’ cast member responds to the DC film’s sudden cancellation and calls Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav a “coward.” Speaking to IndieWire, the actor said: “The multiple streaming avenues and their vague guarantees appear anything but secure,” in response to one of the publication’s previous columns detailing the studio’s decision to shelve the film. “I am very offended by what happened and feel terrible for the directors and Leslie Grace, who were all wonderful to work with, as well as all of the technicians.”
“It was an enormous, rewarding challenge to make this movie during Covid, and during the cold weather in Glasgow,” the actor’s statement continued. “None of these things matter to an imbecile like [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav]. His cowardice is breathtaking. I am glad I got to participate and I wish the best for all those involved — except the suits at Warner Brothers. But they all get replaced sooner than later.”
Warner Bros. sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry when the company opted to shelve its upcoming DC film Batgirl, which would have premiered on HBO Max. At the time of its cancellation, the film was estimated to have cost between $70 and $100 million. According to inside sources at the studio, the decision to scrap Batgirl was “not driven by the quality of the film or the commitment of the filmmakers, but by the desire for the studio’s slate of DC features to be at a blockbuster scale.”
In a Q2 earnings call held on Aug. 4, Zaslav indicated that part of the reasoning behind the cancellation was to “protect the DC brand.” “We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready,” Zaslav said. “We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it. …The objective is to grow the DC brand, to grow the DC characters but also, our job is to protect the DC brand. And that’s what we’re going to do.” He also revealed that the company has laid out a 10-year plan for the future of DC films, similar to what Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The confirmed cast of ‘Batgirl’ included Leslie Grace in the title role, J.K Simmons as James Gordon and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly. Michael Keaton was intended to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman after first appearing as the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Test audiences reportedly compared the superhero film to a “bad episode of TV,” though they praised Leslie Grace’s performance as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
Director Antoine Fuqua is teasing ‘Michael’, the Michael Jackson biopic he is set to work on and says he’s “blown” away by the “uncanny” resemblance between the lead star and his real-life uncle, the King of Pop.
Jaafar Jackson, who is the son of Michael’s brother Jermaine Jackson, will play the iconic singer in the Lionsgate biopic.
“It’s uncanny how much he’s like Michael,” Fuqua told EW in a recent interview. “Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It’s really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away.”
Although the film is on hold due to the writers and actors strike, Fuqua said the biopic will retell Michael’s story “as we know it” and would tackle some of the controversies the singer was involved in during his lifetime.
“Just to tell the facts as we know it, about the artist, about the man, about the human being. You know, the good, bad, and the ugly,” Fuqua added.
‘Michael’ will be directed by Fuqua with a script from John Logan. Graham King is set as a producer, who was behind the Freddy Mercury Queen story of Bohemian Rhapsody. GK Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
One thing longtime fans of DC have come to count on is that while the company spent the last ten years floundering around in a pool of confusion, their animated films rarely, if ever, miss. Justice League Warworld continues to lend credence to this argument, though not in a particularly new, unique, or memorable way.
Here’s the premise: The big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) are scattered across time by some phenomenon they do not understand. They have no memories of who they are or how they got there, but they know they have to consistently ‘keep moving’.
Wonder Woman visits a wild western town in which a distinct DC anti-hero rules with an iron fist. Batman is stuck in a prehistoric world, complete with dinosaurs and warlords and warrior women. And then, the big three reunite at the end for what starts as a ‘mystery-in-a-diner’ noir-esque story that sort of explains what’s been happening but does nothing with that revelation.
The big three reunite at the end for what starts as a ‘mystery-in-a-diner’ noir-esque story that sort of explains what’s been happening but does nothing with that revelation.
But there’s a lot to root for in this film: the voice cast is splendid, with Jensen Ackles playing Batman, Darren Criss as Superman, Stana Katic as Wonder Woman, Troy Baker as Jonah Hex, and so on. Somehow Ackles has avoided the Conroy comparisons (probably because he started voicing Batman before Conroy passed) so far, and in a good way.
The art style stays within the confines of the Tomorrowverse comfortably, and the animation looks great and fluid. The action sequences leave quite a bit to be desired, though, with Batman going through the motions and forgetting what makes him such a much-revered hand-to-hand fighter. The heroes also act out of character a number of times, Batman leaving someone who just freed him to die, and Superman being quite thick-headed and missing several obvious clues.
The heroes also act out of character a number of times, Batman leaving someone who just freed him to die, and Superman being quite thick-headed and missing several obvious clues.
Still, the biggest letdown is the fact that the movie ends, but there’s no resolution. It rather spends the climax setting up a sequel, which may be the just-announced Crisis on Infinite Earths. The movie skimps on the emotional satisfaction that comes with a perfectly-landed climax and instead jerks the audience away on the ‘something-bigger-approaches’ segue. It feels as though the ending was changed just before it left the cutting room. Still, ‘Justice League: Warworld’ is worth a watch.
While hyping his snazzy new sci-fi thriller, ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (Netflix), John Boyega also dropped some choice nuggets of info, including details of a day during the production of one of the Star Wars films, when he and co-star Harrison Ford ditched security to sample Nigerian cuisine, taking a drive along one of South London’s most famous roads.
Describing a tense day of shoots aboard the Millennium Falcon and strict dieting, Harrison popped by and asked: “Hey, kid. I want to eat something that’s gonna be a little different. If you can take me to a restaurant, that would be great.” The duo left Pinewood Studios, where they were filming ‘The Force Awakens’ and headed to Old Kent Road’s West African-themed restaurant, ‘805’ after Ford shook off his security.
The Indiana Jones legend topped off the Nigerian experience by falling asleep after the meal on the car ride back.
Boyega describes Ford as going beyond the often-introductory jollof rice, and going on to polish off plates of “Amala, Ewedu, pounded yam and Egusi,” described as the food of his forefathers. The Indiana Jones legend topped off the Nigerian experience by falling asleep after the meal on the car ride back. (Editor’s note: It’s probably the pounded yam)
Boyega ended his story by posing a question to the retired Indiana Jones actor: “When’s the Nollywood debut?”
