Four years after Warner Bros. pulled the plug on Batgirl, J.K. Simmons is still hoping audiences will eventually see the finished movie. The actor, who played Commissioner James Gordon, gave his opinion on the studio’s decision to shelve the completed superhero movie.
J.K. Simmons says Warner Bros. decision to cancel Batgirl was ‘bizarre’
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Simmons reflected on the abrupt cancellation of the Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah-directed feature. “It’s bizarre,” he told host Josh Horowitz. The actor pointed out that the decision did not stem from poor audience reception, revealing that initial test screenings had not given a bad score. “Apparently, one test audience saw it, and you know, it wasn’t like it was a bad score from the test audience. It was a whatever business decision, obviously,” Simmons explained.
The veteran actor acknowledged the complicated history surrounding DC projects at the time, making a parallel with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He observed that the director’s cut eventually reached fans who championed it, suggesting a similar appetite might exist for the Batgirl film.
J.K. Simmons also spoke warmly about the production experience itself, saying, “When Batgirl came along with Adil and Bilall, it was an exciting prospect to be part of the origin story of Batgirl.” He added context for those unfamiliar with the character’s mythology, sharing that Barbara Gordon is “Commissioner Gordon’s daughter.” Despite the outcome, he recalled the shoot fondly. “We really had a good time making it and thought it was going to be a fun superhero movie. Oh well.”
Batgirl featured Leslie Grace in the title role, with Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino, and Jacob Scipio rounding out the cast. Michael Keaton was also to reprise his iconic role as Bruce Wayne, continuing his return from Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns.
The film became a casualty of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in 2022, when the newly formed company opted for a tax write-down rather than releasing the nearly finished project on HBO Max. It appears the decision was part of a wider cost-cutting purge.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on SuperHeroHype.
