Batgirl footage gives glimpse in how movie may have looked

After the announcement that the DC film ‘Batgirl’ was being shelved, footage from behind the scenes of the production appeared online and gives fans an idea of what may have become had the movie been released.

Fans were stunned after the announcement that the film, Batgirl, would be shelved. Originally planned to be released on HBO Max, the film will not receive a release either on HBO Max or theatrically, causing disappointment among fans who were looking forward to seeing Leslie Grace’s portrayal of the comic book character.

Since the film had already been in production, filmed shots from the feature had already been completed. Some of that footage has made its way online, with the DCEULeaks subreddit originally publishing the clip. As MovieWeb shares, there’s a chase sequence with Batgirl (Leslie Grace) riding on her motorcycle chasing a fire engine that has Firefly (Brendan Fraser), a pyromaniac villain, on top of it.

There are shots of Batgirl jumping on her motorcycle and tumbling over the hood of a police car as she rushes to a scene as well as a brief glimpse of the Caped Crusader himself with Michael Keaton signed on to portray Batman once again.

The raw footage is a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes with an action film, from hearing calls to roll the camera to the gasps of people witnessing the controlled quick explosions of fire and the cheers after a scene or certain stunt has been successfully completed.

There are times when we can see the camera actually following actors around corners and footage of actors walking around on set between takes and scenes, as well as shots of fictitious road signs showing the way to get to the 95 North freeway to Downtown Gotham.

The project had been a long time coming, with changes happening behind the scenes long before the production was canceled. Joss Whedon, from The Avengers, was hired to be the original writer for Batgirl in 2017, but walked away, “over struggles to come up with a story.”

The film appeared to have backing as Christina Hodson, from another DC outing Birds of Prey, was brought in to write a new screenplay and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, from Bad Boys for Life, were signed on to direct the feature.

After seeing the behind-the-scenes footage, in just under 12 minutes alone, it is easy to see that a high amount of work was put into the production, with the cast and crew looking to be eager for the film’s release. From going through creative changes to the process of bringing the story to life, countless hours of work had been poured into the film.

It has been a surprise to see that while Batgirl would not get an HBO Max release, it will be prevented from any release at all, including the assumed alternative with a theatrical release.

The news comes reportedly due to, as MovieWeb states, “the studio wanting to focus on big-budget, big-screen adventures for DC characters.”

David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, explained that there is a ten-year plan for the future of DC, looking to build a more “sustainable business” with brands that are widely known and popular including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Footage such as that of behind the scenes of Batgirl will definitely make fans long for more after the disappointing news that there are no plans for a release. The cast and crew put so much work into the film and one can only hope that audiences will one day get to enjoy it. Perhaps it sees the light of day down the line but for now, it is unfortunately only a wish.