As Marvel announced its Phase 5 and 6 plans at SDCC 2022, fans were surely excited for the upcoming movies. However, it seems a slight slip-up might have confirmed that Eternals is also getting a sequel despite mixed reviews. On The Today Show, Patton Oswalt, who plays the role of ‘Pip the Troll’ confirmed the sequel and revealed Chloe Zhao to be returning as director. While Marvel is all set to release Eternals 2, Warner Bros is being blasted for shelving ‘Batgirl’ starring Leslie Grace alongside J.K. Simmons, Michael Keaton, and Brendan Fraser despite spending nearly $100M on it.
Why was Batgirl shelved?
Batgirl, based on the popular DC comic book character, won’t be released in theatres or streamed on HBO Max. Originally, the film was designed for the HBO Max release. During the pandemic, the budget had swelled up close to $100million. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film was doing test screening for audiences but was received poorly by them. This led to the ultimate DC disaster, leading the studio to cut its losses and run for the sake of the brand’s future. The movie has not received a single mention at DC’s Comic-Con panel. It seems DC is not ready to take the plunge like Marvel, having received their fair share of bad reviews. The In The Heights actress Leslie Grace released a statement and posted it on Twitter with #Batgirl for life.
I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!” #Batgirl for life! 🦇 pic.twitter.com/4D9ZM87Ytu
— Leslie Grace (@lesliegrace) August 4, 2022
After the disastrous decision termed as a ‘strategic shift’, fans have been blasting WB and DC for shelving Batgirl. Moreover, there have been reports that Supergirl starring Sasha Calle might be facing the ax too. As a result, fans have been rallying behind Batgirl on Twitter, considering that none of the actors and crew members attached deserved this shocking news after hours of effort.
Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, JK Simmons and everyone who worked on the film deserve so much better. The fans deserve so much better! #SaveBatgirl #ReleaseBatgirlMovie ✌️🦇 pic.twitter.com/KpVamqnzNS
— Joakim Krane Bech (@JoakimKraneBech) August 2, 2022
Not cool @warnerbrostv @hbomax
Show the cast & crew some respect.
It's been made, so just release it.
This is utter nonsense.We don't want a repeat of the #SnyderCut saga, but will go there if needs be.#ReleaseBatgirlMovie #ReleaseTheBatgirlFilm #ReleaseBatgirlOnHBOMAX https://t.co/hEaAus31CJ
— casually obsessed w Brendan Fraser's left eyebrow (@twit_tor) August 3, 2022
Eternals 2 Seemingly Confirmed Despite Mixed Reviews
Despite raking in millions, MCU’s Phase 4 movies have been the weakest when it comes to critical and financial success. Back when Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao was attached to Eternals, fans were expecting a cinematic masterpiece from MCU instead of the ‘formulaic’ movie pattern that had nearly saturated the genre. However, Eternals opened to mixed reception, and became the lowest-rated MCU movie so far. As a result, fans were concerned that the movie might not even get a sequel despite its star-studded cast. Fortunately, if actor Patton Oswalt can be believed, the movie is getting a sequel with Chloe Zhao set to return.
Warner Bros. doesn’t trust its directors unlike Marvel
Shelving a multi-million dollar film has brought Warner Bros. bad press (yet again) and shows that the studio house has a lack of faith in its directors. But for CEO David Zaslav, this isn’t unusual and he reportedly has split Warner Bros. into multiple segments, with DC-based film production being one of them. Though it genuinely might be a strategic shift considering that the DCEU has been in shambles with its disjointed array of movies, WB has always been at the forefront for not trusting its directors. From Zack Snyder to David Ayer, the studio has been accused of limiting artistic integrity in exchange for financial gain. While Marvel Studios has been accused in the past of limiting its directors to follow a certain blueprint, the announcement of Eternals 2 despite mixed reviews shows that Marvel still trusts its directors, unlike its biggest rival.
Source: Twitter
