Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197 
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Post by Confessor on Aug 3, 2022 5:36:12 GMT -5
Just saw this on the BBC: the forthcoming Batgirl film (which was all shot and in the can) has been scrapped and will not see the light of day. It was scheduled to come out in just a few months time, but after testing badly with preview audiences Warner have decided not to release it. That's pretty unusual for a finished movie to be scrapped at such a late stage and I'm not sure what the whole story is, but suggestions are that a change in release strategy at the top might be to blame. Full article here... www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-62406098 |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Aug 3, 2022 6:01:14 GMT -5
If it was fully completed, it'll come out eventually. Straight to video or a streaming release. If not by WB, they'll sell it to someone else. Could take a year or 2 but if they can recoup some of their money spent, they would be fools not to do it
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 3, 2022 7:03:16 GMT -5
Yeah, I saw that myself and was pretty shocked. They released the original Suicide Squad, and the Snyder cut...and Batgirl was worse than those?
That must be pretty dire.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197
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Post by Confessor on Aug 3, 2022 7:44:53 GMT -5
If it was fully completed, it'll come out eventually. Straight to video or a streaming release. If not by WB, they'll sell it to someone else. Could take a year or 2 but if they can recoup some of their money spent, they would be fools not to do it Unless it has something in it that is offensive to modern sensibilities? The reasons that this has been pulled seem vague and unconvincing to me. I wonder if -- for example -- the title "Batgirl" has offended preview audiences as dated or inappropriate? There is an increasing feminist kick back against adult women being addressed as girl nowadays, after all. Now, I'm not saying that this is the reason that it's been pulled -- I have no clue as to the real reason. But it has to be something that couldn't be fixed by re-shoots. Maybe it was something much more intrinsic with the character or the plot or something?? I agree that it will eventually come out whatever, but if it is something fundamentally out of whack with modern liberal sensibilities (for example) it might be much longer than a couple of years. |
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Post by Calidore on Aug 3, 2022 8:22:46 GMT -5
Synchronicity: 23 years ago this month, the completed Elseworlds 80-Page Giant was recalled and scrapped. Call-back?
Seriously, DC really needs to get their movie house in order. Marvel has shown the size of the audience market and has raked in absolutely insane money. DC's inability to catch this giant beach ball is astounding.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 3, 2022 9:24:40 GMT -5
The film even had Michael Keaton in it. I don't think we're talking Elektra-level production values.
Is this the Brendan Fraser curse again? The poor guy can't get a break!
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 3, 2022 9:31:59 GMT -5
If it was fully completed, it'll come out eventually. Straight to video or a streaming release. If not by WB, they'll sell it to someone else. Could take a year or 2 but if they can recoup some of their money spent, they would be fools not to do it Unless it has something in it that is offensive to modern sensibilities? The reasons that this has been pulled seem vague and unconvincing to me. I wonder if -- for example -- the title "Batgirl" has offended preview audiences as dated or inappropriate? There is an increasing feminist kick back against adult women being addressed as girl nowadays, after all. Now, I'm not saying that this is the reason that it's been pulled -- I have no clue as to the real reason. But it has to be something that couldn't be fixed by re-shoots. Maybe it was something much more intrinsic with the character or the plot or something?? I agree that it will eventually come out whatever, but if it is something fundamentally out of whack with modern liberal sensibilities (for example) it might be much longer than a couple of years. I suspect it's because myopic suits have decided that superhero fans won't go see an icky girl movie. But I'm cynical that way. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Aug 3, 2022 9:51:07 GMT -5
Synchronicity: 23 years ago this month, the completed Elseworlds 80-Page Giant was recalled and scrapped. Call-back? Seriously, DC really needs to get their movie house in order. Marvel has shown the size of the audience market and has raked in absolutely insane money. DC's inability to catch this giant beach ball is astounding. I seem to recall it was eventually released, albeit without one particular story. And I also seem to recall that the offending story was printed somewhere (something to do with babysitting Superbaby?) DC has no power to get it's "Movie House" in order. You seem to think the DC office has any control over the Time Warner Multinational Conglomerate. Also Marvel has not raked in absolutely insane money. Disney has and Sony has to a degree. Any money that has filtered down to the Marvel office has been a pittence. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197
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Post by Confessor on Aug 3, 2022 10:11:03 GMT -5
Unless it has something in it that is offensive to modern sensibilities? The reasons that this has been pulled seem vague and unconvincing to me. I wonder if -- for example -- the title "Batgirl" has offended preview audiences as dated or inappropriate? There is an increasing feminist kick back against adult women being addressed as girl nowadays, after all. Now, I'm not saying that this is the reason that it's been pulled -- I have no clue as to the real reason. But it has to be something that couldn't be fixed by re-shoots. Maybe it was something much more intrinsic with the character or the plot or something?? I agree that it will eventually come out whatever, but if it is something fundamentally out of whack with modern liberal sensibilities (for example) it might be much longer than a couple of years. I suspect it's because myopic suits have decided that superhero fans won't go see an icky girl movie. But I'm cynical that way. Yeah, that could equally be it. My point is that the "problem" with the film is clearly something fundemental like that...something that couldn't be fixed by re-shoots. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 3, 2022 13:28:28 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2022 16:44:23 GMT -5
Yeah, I suspect the performance of the Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey film and whatever the reaction was led to this; but it will get released on some platform, eventually. They will have tor ecoup costs somehow. Ish is also spot on about DC and Marvel movies: neither makes movies. their conglomerate owners make movies, with their characters. Warners problem has been too many people like Zack Snyder and Geoff Johns in charge of trying to build a franchise, than someone like a Bruce Timm, who has experience translating comics to popular cinematic forms. When the movies started happening, Marvel was owned by New World and properties were optioned left and right, leading to F-all at the theaters and one direct-to-video Punisher film and a direct-to-bootleggers Captain America, which got a later video release. Marvel's top properties were spread around at different studios, before Marvel Studios began, as a production office. DC's properties were optioned by different production companies, with warner only mandating their distribution. The Marvel Studios-based program was a long time in developing and still had its hiccups, due to needing production partners, before the Disney buyout of Marvel, from Toybiz. I doubt the name was an issue, as no one lost their s@#$ about the title of the Supergirl tv series; and, no, I don't think anyone's panties got in a tighter bunch in the time since then. A lot of these kinds of things come with regime changes at the studios and I wouldn't be surprised if there were executive changes (I don't follow that, so no idea) and a bad screening gave them the excuse to axe the previous regimes project. EDIT-Yup, the linked article mentions regime change. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2022 17:17:36 GMT -5
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Post by Calidore on Aug 3, 2022 18:29:10 GMT -5
Synchronicity: 23 years ago this month, the completed Elseworlds 80-Page Giant was recalled and scrapped. Call-back? Seriously, DC really needs to get their movie house in order. Marvel has shown the size of the audience market and has raked in absolutely insane money. DC's inability to catch this giant beach ball is astounding. I seem to recall it was eventually released, albeit without one particular story. And I also seem to recall that the offending story was printed somewhere (something to do with babysitting Superbaby?) DC has no power to get it's "Movie House" in order. You seem to think the DC office has any control over the Time Warner Multinational Conglomerate. Also Marvel has not raked in absolutely insane money. Disney has and Sony has to a degree. Any money that has filtered down to the Marvel office has been a pittence.
Close, it was rereleased as a standalone comic again with an extra story not in the original. It was also collected in its entirety in one of the Elseworlds TPBs.
As to the second paragraph, the corporate hierarchy wasn't relevant to the point.
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 3, 2022 20:58:40 GMT -5
Unless it has something in it that is offensive to modern sensibilities? The reasons that this has been pulled seem vague and unconvincing to me. I wonder if -- for example -- the title "Batgirl" has offended preview audiences as dated or inappropriate? There is an increasing feminist kick back against adult women being addressed as girl nowadays, after all. Now, I'm not saying that this is the reason that it's been pulled -- I have no clue as to the real reason. But it has to be something that couldn't be fixed by re-shoots. Maybe it was something much more intrinsic with the character or the plot or something?? I agree that it will eventually come out whatever, but if it is something fundamentally out of whack with modern liberal sensibilities (for example) it might be much longer than a couple of years. I suspect it's because myopic suits have decided that superhero fans won't go see an icky girl movie. But I'm cynical that way. And if you ask me, the most enjoyable DC superhero movie was Wonder Woman. (The first one; the sequel didn't interest me at all.) |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 4, 2022 10:55:56 GMT -5
Yeah, that seems to be the reasoning. The bean counters crunched the numbers and decided they'd "make" more money by writing it off due to tax laws than it would make if released. Whether that's true or not is open to interpretation of course but corporate bean counters in hollywood are pretty good at creative math so I think it's fair to assume they know their numbers pretty well. |
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