'Batgirl' star Leslie Grace refutes 'not releasable' claims

‘Batgirl’ star Leslie Grace refutes DC Studios boss’ claim film ‘was not releasable’

A woman with brown hair smiling in a black dress.

Feb. 13, 2023 1:40 PM PT

Actor Leslie Grace still believes in “Batgirl,” months after Warner Bros. decided to scrap the $90-million film in August as part of its cost-cutting efforts.

Grace, also known for “In The Heights,” opened up about the film’s abrupt cancellation for the first time in an interview with Variety published Monday.

“I tend to be a very optimistic and positive person in these types of circumstances, and I just really leaned on the beauty of the idea that I got to have this experience in my life,” she told Variety. “Even though I would’ve loved to share that with the rest of the world, nothing can take that experience away from us.”

“Batgirl” was in post-production when Warner Bros. decided not to move forward with the film. Sources told The Times in August that the movie no longer fit with the studio’s film strategy.

Grace told Variety that she spoke with Warner Bros. bosses Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy about the shocking decision but said “they weren’t really specific on anything creative in terms of what they felt about the film and how it would’ve hurt DC creatively.”

Other execs weren’t as tight-lipped. On Feb. 1, Peter Safran, who recently took up the helm as co-chairperson and chief executive of DC Studios alongside director James Gunn, reportedly said “that film was not releasable.”

“I actually think that [Warner Bros. Discovery president and Chief Executive David] Zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC,” Safran added.”It would have hurt those people involved.”

Grace called the comments “frustrating,” and later in the interview praised the work that she and her fellow “Batgirl” creatives accomplished. The actor shared that she didn’t get to see the final cut of the movie, but said it was anything but “unreleasable.”

“The film I got to see — the scenes that were there — was incredible,” she said. “There was definitely potential for a good film, in my opinion. Maybe we’ll get to see clips of it later on.”

Throughout the interview, Grace spoke about learning to accept changes and decisions beyond her control. It’s one of the reasons she said she “can’t speak too much” or “guarantee anything” about where “Batgirl” might go.

“The last thing that I would want to do is give folks any kind of inkling of something that I have not much control over — as we’ve learned,” she said.

Grace’s comments come as DC Studios touts its upcoming slate of films, including Ezra Miller‘s “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” starring Zachary Levi.