DC’s Canceled Batgirl Movie Gets a Surprisingly Hopeful Update, 3 Years After Warner Bros Pulled The Plug

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Speaking to The Direct in support of his new film, Scipio revealed that not only had he gotten to see Batgirl and thought it was “phenomenal” but that if fans wanted it badly enough, there’s “always hope” Batgirl still could see the light of day.

“I got the chance to watch it, and it was a phenomenal film,” Scipio said. “Man, I’m really sad the world never got to see it. But you know, you never know. You never know.”

He added, “It was great that they saved [Coyote vs. 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.”

Coyote vs. Acme Got a Second Chance, Could Batgirl Be Next?

Scipio’s point about Coyote vs. Acme is a salient one. The film, based on the 1990 The New Yorker article “Coyote v. Acme” which follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues the Acme Corporation for selling him products that backfired over and over in his pursuit of the Road Runner, was hit by the same devastating blow Batgirl was. Warner Bros. announced in 2023 that despite the fact that the film was completed, it would not be released so the studio could claim a tax loss. The cancellation marked the third film Warner Bros. had unexpectedly cancelled for similar reasons, joining Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. However, you can’t keep a good Coyote down and there was a huge outpouring of support for the film. Eventually, Ketchup Entertainment entered talks to acquire rights to the film and at the end of March, it was announced that the deal was sealed. The movie is now set for release on August 26, 2026.

Thus far, Batgirl has not yet had that kind of redemption story. From a legal standpoint, resurrecting Batgirl could be tricky as its cancellation was used as a tax write-off and there are legal matters that would come into play should the studio decide to reverse their decision and release the film. It’s also somewhat unlikely that Batgirl would get the same opportunity Coyote vs. Acme has gotten because Batgirl is a DC project. With James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe vision well underway thanks to Peacemaker and Superman, it’s extremely unlikely that the rights to Batgirl would be sold off to be put into the world. Bringing Batgirl back might just prove to be too complicated.

That said, as Scipio suggests, never say never. There is some precedent for a DC film that had previously been expected to never see the light of day finally getting it’s time to shine. Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of 2017’s Justice League — aka the Snyder Cut — eventually was released in 2021. The Snyder Cut was released following a massive fan movement. While the circumstances for Justice League are different than that of Batgirl, the film is proof that fan support can make a difference.

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