The star of DC film Batgirl says hearing the news that Warner Bros had decided to scrap the film was like “deflating a balloon”.
US actress Leslie Grace admitted there were “obstacles” that affected the shooting process in Scotland, but said she was still grateful for the experience.
The decision that the film would be axed was made suddenly in August last year just months before it was due to be released.
Actors Leslie Grace and Ethan Kai on set during filming in Glasgow for Batgirl (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Filmed entirely in Scotland, it also starred Oscar-nominated actor Brendan Fraser, as well as Michael Keaton and JK Simmons.
Speaking to US trade publication Variety, Grace said she had found out the news “like the rest of you” – after reading reports in the media.
Asked if there were signs that the production was “not going to work”, she said: “I’m not going to lie to you. In every film, there are obstacles, and our film was nothing short of that.
“Half of the shoot was night shoots in Scotland, where it never stops raining.
“So there were obstacles, but at the end of the day, because of the incredible crew, nothing that ever got in the way of us delivering what we knew we wanted to deliver for this film.”
READ MORE: Batgirl scrapped by Warner Bros after 'poor test screenings'
She added: “Even though I would’ve loved to share that with the rest of the world, nothing can take that experience away from us.”
Batgirl reportedly cost an estimated 70 million dollars (£57.6 million) and the film was scheduled for release in late 2022 – though the decision to cancel its release was reportedly due to poor screen tests.
In January last year, the Trongate area of Glasgow was transformed by set builders into Gotham City for the production, with alterations made to shop fronts and police cars.
Brendan Fraser, who was also due to star in Batgirl, said news of the film’s cancellation had been a ‘gut punch’ (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
The film was was due to focus on Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon.
In an online statement following the announcement, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said they were “saddened and shocked” by the news they wished fans could have the “opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves”.
READ MORE: Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah ‘saddened and shocked’
Fraser, who has picked up a best actor nomination at this year’s Oscars for his performance in The Whale, told Variety that the news about Batgirl had been a “gut punch”.
The actor said the most “lamentable” part of the decision by Warner Bros had been that “a whole generation of little girls are going to have to wait longer to see a Batgirl and say, ‘Hey, she looks like me’.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel