JK Simmons, the renowned actor known for his iconic roles in various film and television projects, has spoken out about the canceled Batgirl movie. In a recent interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Simmons shared his thoughts on the project’s cancellation, which has been a topic of discussion among fans and the entertainment industry.
Simmons played the role of Commissioner Gordon in the DC Universe, and although he only appeared in one film, his experience with the character was significant. Initially, Zack Snyder had cast Simmons as Commissioner Gordon in Justice League, where he had a small role. However, when Snyder’s Batman film was abandoned, Simmons was eventually cast in Batgirl, where Michael Keaton would have reprised his role as the Caped Crusader.
The entire Batgirl film was shot and largely completed, but Warner Bros. scrapped it, along with other projects, in favor of a tax write-off. This tax write-off also meant that the film can never be released. According to Simmons, even he didn’t get to see it. In a bizarre twist, only one test audience saw the film, and although it wasn’t a complete disaster, it wasn’t enough to save the project.
Simmons reflected on his experience making Batgirl, stating, ‘We really had a good time making it, and you know, thought it was going to be a fun superhero movie.’ He emphasized that the team was excited about the prospect of being part of the origin story of Batgirl. When asked if he felt the movie was a misfire while making it, Simmons said, ‘No, we didn’t feel that way. We thought it was promising, and we were all excited about it.’
On the other hand, Michael Keaton, who was set to reprise his role as Batman in Batgirl, joked in an interview with GQ in 2024 that he didn’t care about the project’s cancellation because he got paid. Keaton stated, ‘No, I didn’t care one way or another. Big, fun, nice check.’ He also expressed his appreciation for the directing duo, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, saying, ‘I like those boys. They’re nice guys. I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad. Me? I’m good.’
While some reports have suggested that the film’s test screening didn’t go well, it seems irrational to scrap a movie based on one test screening. There are some truly heinous superhero films out there, including ones from DC itself, so it’s hard to imagine Batgirl being an unsalvageable mess. Maybe it was, but it seems more like it got caught in the crossfire of Warner Bros. trying to salvage its own business in any way it could.
DC Studios head Peter Safran stated after the film’s cancellation that the Batgirl movie was ‘not releasable,’ which may suggest that things were more dire than we could have imagined. Safran said, ‘That film was not releasable, and it happens sometimes. I actually think that [president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David] Zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC. It would have hurt those people involved.’
It seems unlikely that Batgirl will ever see the light of day, but fans continue to hold out hope. The directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, were locked out of the movie and don’t have access to anything besides pictures and videos they took on set. The DC Universe has been rebooted, so it’s likely that the current regime will just leave Batgirl in the past to avoid confusing audiences.
In the end, the cancellation of Batgirl remains a mystery, and fans can only speculate about what could have been. Simmons’ comments offer a glimpse into the team’s experience making the film, and although it’s unclear what the future holds, one thing is certain: the DC Universe will continue to evolve, and new stories will emerge.
