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Update: Amazon picks up animated Matt Reeves/Bruce Timm "Batman: Caped Crusader" series after being dropped by HBO Max


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DEADLINE.COM

The film was in middle of post-production when decision was made

 

 

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As for the exact reason behind the shelving, sources say the film did not fall in line with the new strategy being implemented by DC Films as well as HBO Max. The studio is looking to make theatrical tentpoles with budgets at $90 million-plus, and from early footage seen this did not fall into place with that model. (Batgirl was greenlighted at $70 million budget.)

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Warner Bros. shelves "Batgirl" in the middle of post-production with no plans to release the film on ANY platform

Black Adam, Shazam, and Batgirl were pretty much the only DC projects I was really looking forward to. Even then, Black Adam is only because it'll be a spin off from Shazam. How could you not justify completing the movie now that it's in post and drop it on HBO Max?

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1 minute ago, Brick said:

I expect that The Batman spin off series for HBO to get cancelled. 

 

They wouldn't cancel the sequel to The Batman though, would they? Are they going to try again with a unified shared DC cinematic universe? 

The Batman sequel should be cool... the spinoff series? Deader than Dillinger.

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4 minutes ago, Dre801 said:

Jesus.  SMH.  

I love the DC Universe, the comics and the animation, but the way they've handled their cinematic stuff. . .My God.

 

Maybe they'll cut costs by firing all the other leads and have Ezra Miller play Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in addition to the Flash. :troll:

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More info from Variety:

 

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VARIETY.COM

'Batgirl' was nearly finished and building awareness among fans. Why would Warner Bros. Discovery throw it all away? Taxes.

 

 

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"Batgirl" found itself on the bad end of that decision, apparently neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical release nor small enough to make economic sense in an increasingly cutthroat streaming landscape. Spending the money to expand the scope of "Batgirl" for theaters — plus the $30 million to $50 million needed to market it domestically and the tens of millions more needed for a global rollout — could have nearly doubled spending on the film, and insiders say that was a non-starter at a company newly focused on belt-tightening and the bottom line. (Spokespeople for Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment for this story.)

 

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This still makes no sense. I can get not doing movies of this budget for streaming in future but the money on this one is already 99% spent, why not just finish it and toss it on streaming? Instead now they'll get 0 return on $69 million instead of what they consider an unsatisfactory return on $70 million...just bizarre.

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2 minutes ago, Jason said:

This still makes no sense. I can get not doing movies of this budget for streaming in future but the money on this one is already 99% spent, why not just finish it and toss it on streaming? Instead now they'll get 0 return on $69 million instead of what they consider an unsatisfactory return on $70 million...just bizarre.

 

Also from the Variety article:

 

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Releasing the movie on HBO Max would seem to be the most obvious solution. Instead, the company has shelved “Batgirl” — along with the “Scoob!” sequel — and several sources say it will almost certainly take a tax write-down on both films, seen internally as the most financially sound way to recoup the costs (at least, on an accountant’s ledger). It could justify that by chalking it up to a post-merger change of strategy.

 

Doing so, however, would mean that Warner Bros. cannot monetize either movie — no HBO Max debut, no sale to another studio.

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Warner Bros. shelves "Batgirl" in the middle of post-production with no plans to release the film on ANY platform for tax write-off purposes (according to Variety)
12 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Also from the Variety article:

 

The US corporate tax rate is 21%, so writing off $70 million gets them $14.7 million. It's hard to imagine the movie doesn't get them more than that by releasing it.

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3 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:

IMO this should be tax fraud, have all assets seized and all the executives get the :guillotine:!

 


How would such a thing even be tax fraud?

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9 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

With "Hollywood accounting" practices, who the hell knows what they'll come up with.


There are also substantial costs that come with releasing the film, and other sorts of expenses including many backend deals that they don’t have to bother with. I can very easily see how the end result of creative accounting in a very vertically integrated industry would result in the best financial outcome for the firm being to simply spike it.

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2 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:

Saying the movie cost $90 Million they should have to prove the entire amount. Chances are they used accounting tricks to inflate that budget.


I assure you there is nothing difficult about showing these costs, especially as a non-trivial amount gets paid to their own subsidiaries :p 

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