DC fans continue to hold out hope and have once again been disappointed. As many of you might have heard, the Batgirl movie was scrapped by Warner Bros. and turned into a tax write-off. This decision was made after Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia earlier this year. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s intention to invest heavily in rebuilding the DC Extended Universe was made loud and clear.

The film was set to stream on HBO Max and was reportedly in the closing stages of post-production. DC fans were looking forward to seeing one of the more popular members of the Bat Family make their debut. Not only were fans looking forward to finally seeing Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, but Michael Keaton reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Brendan Fraser was set to be Batgirl’s villain, Firefly.

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson told The Wrap in a statement. “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”

The decision to pull the film from being released was largely due to its budget. Its $90 million budget is significantly lower than many superhero films, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Batgirl didn’t have the “spectacle that audiences have come to expect from DC fare” and not show sufficient amount of promise in regards to recuperating the cost.

However, The New York Post reported that the film actually exceeded a $100 million budget and that the film had performed poorly at test screenings, which ultimately forced the production company to cut its losses.

Batgirl now sits in purgatory, where the Snyder Cut once lived, and maybe that could inspire some hope among DC fans. In related news, the Joker sequel is rumored to start filming next year.

Photo via DC