Batgirl Movie Cancelled

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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Larry A. »

Thumbs up, Sprang Fan!!!!!! That whole giving up of the superpowers came about, or sso I've been told, as a result of an article called "Man of Steel, Woman of Tissue". It's a good, funny article.
Larry
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Mr. Comic Book
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Mr. Comic Book »

Admittedly it doesn't help that I've never regarded the Superman/Lois relationship as one of the great romances of literary history and I especially didn't think Reeve and Kidder's versions of the characters belonged together.
It also doesn't help that DC, since 1995 at least, consistently portrayed Lois as emotionally and verbally abusive to Clark/Superman, even implying that she was fooling around with another guy on the sly (Jeb Friedman, her slimy '90s-era love interest) and outright having her expose Clark's dual identity in the New 52 era which ultimately led to his death and replacement with the Rebirth Superman. All the while, DC kept insisting they were portraying Lois as as strong, positive female role model and ignoring that men and women alike couldn't stomach the stories at all, to say nothing of ignoring writers and artists at the company who recognized the franchise was being severely derailed. DC, and to some extent WB as well, believes that Lois Lane is the star of Superman, and they're not capable of understanding that (a) Lois is not that popular of a character and (b) the Superman mythos could and would get along just fine either without her or with her in a greatly reduced role.

As for the DC movies and TV shows, I can't watch any of them anymore. Between DC and WB's joint incompetence and the sheer awfulness of the fandoms they've cultivated since 1986-1992, I just don't have any taste for it anymore. I've actually hit a point where I'd rather see these characters fade into history and be left to rest.
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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Larry A. »

I don't remember where it was, but I read today that BG was canceled to make up for money lost when Warner Brothers merged with Discovery. Where THAT makes any sense is beyond me. Comments, fellow Bat-Fans?

Cheers!
Larry
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dell
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by dell »

Keep in mind that a big chunk of money for most modern movies is advertising. If they kill it in post-production they save a bundle.
dell
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SprangFan
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by SprangFan »

It also doesn't help that DC, since 1995 at least, consistently portrayed Lois as emotionally and verbally abusive to Clark/Superman, even implying that she was fooling around with another guy on the sly (Jeb Friedman, her slimy '90s-era love interest) and outright having her expose Clark's dual identity in the New 52 era which ultimately led to his death and replacement with the Rebirth Superman. All the while, DC kept insisting they were portraying Lois as as strong, positive female role model and ignoring that men and women alike couldn't stomach the stories at all, to say nothing of ignoring writers and artists at the company who recognized the franchise was being severely derailed. DC, and to some extent WB as well, believes that Lois Lane is the star of Superman, and they're not capable of understanding that (a) Lois is not that popular of a character and (b) the Superman mythos could and would get along just fine either without her or with her in a greatly reduced role.
I can't say I was too influenced by anything that happened in the comics after 1995, as I pretty much quit buying them in 1993. But even in Superman's "heyday" Lois was at best a nuisance and at worst belonged in Superman's rogue's gallery as the most persistent threat in his life. Throughout the Silver Age she was vain, vindictive, conniving, untrustworthy and petty and it didn't get much better after that. Her constant need to discover Superman's identity was motivated alternately by a desire to advance her career and to somehow blackmail him into matrimony. I would say I have no idea what Superman saw in her, but for a lot of those years he was just as big a jerk to her, Jimmy and his other friends, so maybe likes attract. Anyway at best these two seem drawn to each other out of some form of codependency, and certainly not the "love story of the ages."

One of the great missed opportunities in the history of comics came with the shelving of the "K-Metal" storyline wherein Jerry Siegel had Lois learn the secret of Clark/Superman's dual identity -- all the way back in 1940! -- with the aim of making her an ally, more or less like Margot Lane (her cousin, maybe?) was to The Shadow or Dian Belmont was to the Golden Age Sandman. I really wish they'd gone that way, but by then Superman was already the chief breadwinner for the publisher and the powers-that-be shot down such a fundamental shake-up of the status quo. Soon enough they'd buy out Siegel entirely, so that was pretty much his last shot at making any real changes to anything.

BTW, if there's anyone here who hasn't read that story and wants to, it's been recreated here from the original script (but with art by fans and in a few cases pro artist Jon Bogdanove): http://theages.superman.nu/k-metal/?page=0&w=1366

As it is, I always preferred the stories where Superman fell in love with someone...anyone...else, from Sally Selwyn to Lyla Lerrol or Lori Lemaris. I even preferred Lana Lang to Lois, and she was designed to be a "Lois, Junior Grade."
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Larry A. »

WOW, That IS a terrific Superman story...the kind I liked as a kid that my late uncle would bring home from the Alton Boxboard Company. The artwork was JUST as good as the plot. Please keep us up to date. The 10-year-old kid that lives inside of me says "Thanks!!!!!!!!" as does the 69-year-old that I am now.

Cheers!
Larry
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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Larry A. »

One other thing, I quit reading most DC after they offed the original Supergirl in the "Crisis" Bull Feathers mess. I still occasionally read modern Batman, bur prefer from 1966 back!
Larry
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Yellow Oval
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Yellow Oval »

I concur with most here about watching the 'old days' and finding them way more satisfactory than anything that factory of monumental incompetence called 'Hollywood' has churned out for the last 20 to 25 years or so. Actually, at this point it's not even just the superhero stuff, but EVERYTHING (IMHO) they put out, be it on small screen or big, is absolute garbage! Suffice to say I'm really sick and tired of superhero TV and film, don't care if they never make another (insert hero(es) name(s) here) movie, and I find I'm now more than willing to accept Fred Flintstone's Superstone, Daffy's Superduck, or Lost In Space's IDAK before I accept anything else from that twisted town.

You'll note I said nothing about DC or Marvel because, as far as I'm concerned, they don't even exist anymore.
"Hmmm... I don't like the twist this joke is taking. Let us away! Let us away!"
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

SprangFan wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:37 amAdmittedly it doesn't help that I've never regarded the Superman/Lois relationship as one of the great romances of literary history and I especially didn't think Reeve and Kidder's versions of the characters belonged together.
Kidder's take on Lois made the character annoying and manipulative. Kent/Superman appeared to be a doormat for pining away for her.
The real problem with both Supergirl and the Superman series, though, was that it was owned by penny-pinching producers who were never going to invest the money and behind-the-scenes talent to make decent films. It wouldn't matter who went into the Phantom Zone if the effects budget was lower than a TV ad for a local car dealership.
If you mean the WB/Salkinds movies, they certainly poured a ton of money into the 1978 film, although the results of that investment were mixed.
Aaaaaanyway...to get this sort-of, kind-of back on topic, it's looking highly likely that the planned "Supergirl" film is also going to be cancelled (https://www.cbr.com/super-girl-movie-li ... ders-dceu/). The new version of the character will debut in the upcoming Flash movie, assuming *that* one can ever be released. I wouldn't bet on it; there's still plenty of time for Ezra Miller to torch an orphanage before then.
It appears the Flash will likely see its release, since Miller had announced he's seeking treatment for his recent behavior (i.e., trying to avoid any time behind bars). In theory, the presence of Supergirl (and the awful Keaton Batman) in that film should be considered part of a one-off adventure, since both are residents of an alternate reality, so there's no loss if a solo Supergirl film is never released, as that alternate universe was not intended to be explored on any long-term basis. In that way, the main universe continues (as it will with Aquaman 2, Black Adam, etc.) without being directly linked to any sort of "Earth 2" / alternate reality.
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SprangFan
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by SprangFan »

Kidder's take on Lois made the character annoying and manipulative. Kent/Superman appeared to be a doormat for pining away for her.
Reeve plays Superman as a sweetly naive boy scout type, while Kidder's Lois comes off as jaded and worldly, and ultimately a lot older than Reeve (even if she was only 4 years older in real life). It's like watching a choir boy interacting with a boozy "cougar." Very cringey.
If you mean the WB/Salkinds movies, they certainly poured a ton of money into the 1978 film, although the results of that investment were mixed.
They did spend a lot on the first one, partly because it was actually two films being made at the same time. But you can always tell the Donner footage in Superman 2 from the Lester footage because the latter looks so cheap (and tries so painfully to be funny) and by the time the 3rd film rolled around the effects made Classic Dr Who look like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It appears the Flash will likely see its release, since Miller had announced he's seeking treatment for his recent behavior (i.e., trying to avoid any time behind bars).
Yes, that's Hollywood for you. Whatever the crime, a couple of weeks in a rehabilitation resort clinic turns it into a "courageous tale of redemption." And at the end of the day, any publicity is good publicity.

I can't say I have a dog in this fight either way: I had no intention of seeing the movie before Miller ran amuck and I'm still not interested. But in terms of entertainment, the headlines have probably already given us more for free than the admission price for the film ever will.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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AndyFish
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by AndyFish »

SprangFan wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:04 am
I knew DC films were lousy, but how terrible would one have to be before Warner is literally ashamed to release it in any form, and how could they not know it was that bad at a much earlier stage, before sinking $90m into it?
Did you see Batman Vs Superman?
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SprangFan
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by SprangFan »

Did you see Batman Vs Superman?
Fair enough, but obviously they thought that was great. So I wonder: if they thought Batgirl was unreleasable, does that mean it's several levels worse than BvS, or does it maybe mean it's actually good?

"I Am Legend" is another terrible WB film, but there's a fun moment in it when we're shown a post-apocalyptic cityscape and see that a theater was showing "Batman vs Superman" when the world ended (this was years before the real BvS was filmed). I can only hope the zombie apocalypse broke out the morning of the scheduled premiere, so at least humanity didn't have to suffer through both calamities.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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AndyFish
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by AndyFish »

Yeah that poster goes back to when Wolfgang Peterson was developing a whole different Batman Vs Superman script.
There's a new sheriff at WB now, and I think BVS would have been seen with more critical eyes now. It was a commercial and worse, a critical failure, but not to the point of JUSTICE LEAGUE (which I haven't seen) which sidelined the whole DCEU. It's amazing how something can make $700 Million dollars and be a failure.
Lounge lizard
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Lounge lizard »

I think this could be some kind of genius marketing by Warner Bros. They couldn't have bought the global coverage they've received and now a whole bunch of people, who wouldn't have otherwise been interested, are now very intrigued to see what all the fuss is about.
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Therin of Andor
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Re: Batgirl Movie Cancelled

Post by Therin of Andor »

SprangFan wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:23 pm AInterestingly, a major draw for both films was going to be Michael Keaton's involvement. I strongly suspect both "Batgirl" and the Flash movie will eventually see the light of day if only because fans demand their Keaton Batman fix.
Michael Keaton's cameo as Batman (of Earth 89) was also dropped from the five-episode DC crossover event, "Crisis on Infinite Earths" on the "Arrowverse" TV shows.
Larry A. wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:13 pm That whole giving up of the superpowers came about, or sso I've been told, as a result of an article called "Man of Steel, Woman of Tissue". It's a good, funny article.
"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" (1969) by Larry Niven, and yes, it's hilarious. A friend told me about it in 1978 and I found it accidentally in a paperback collection of short articles a few years later (Niven's 1971 collection, "All the Myriad Ways". It was also reprinted in the Niven compilation "N-Space".)

https://larryniven.net/stories/Man_of_S ... enex.shtml
"Holy nostalgia, Batman!"
Therin of Andor

(aka Ian McLean, from Sydney, Australia)
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