Shockwaves were sent through the world of superhero movies on Tuesday, when it was announced that Warner Bros. has cancelled its upcoming Batgirl movie, instead of releasing the project in theaters or on HBO Max. The decision to shelve the film, which had already wrapped production and was reportedly in the test screening phase, has surprised and baffled many — and a new report from Variety sheds light on why it might have happened. According to several sources cited in their report, Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shelve Batgirl — as well as an animated sequel to Scoob!, which was also announced to be cancelled on Tuesday — will allow the studio to take a tax write-down on both films. This would hypothetically allow the studio to recoup the costs of both projects, as long as they did not monetize either movie, whether by releasing it on HBO Max or selling it to another studio.
