Kevin Smith Shocked Batgirl Isn't Releasing In Theaters: "It's A Billion Dollar Franchise"

One of the more unexpected announcements during WarnerMedia's upfronts was the reveal that the [...]

By Matthew Aguilar

One of the more unexpected announcements during WarnerMedia's upfronts was the reveal that the Batgirl movie would not be heading to theaters. Instead, it will be setting up shop at HBO Max, a strategy that we will probably see a lot more of in the future. Some felt it was odd that such a high-profile character wouldn't be getting a theatrical release, including Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin of Fatman Beyond, and in the latest episode, Smith and Bernardin talked about the decision a bit. Smith feels like WarnerMedia is leaving a billion-dollar franchise on the table, especially if you cast the right person in the lead role.

"Hold up, Hold on Marc, I have to call the mayor of Hollywood...what are you nuts! How is this just a streaming series and not a f*****...like, they got Wonder Woman. But I'm like, take Wonder, throw Bat, take Woman off, put Girl, make the same amount of money," Smith said. "Like they could be printing big f****** dollars. It's a billion-dollar franchise if handled correctly. And you cast it right, oh s***. And they're just gonna let it be a...look, there are wonderful streaming series, I'll fight anybody who says Hacks isn't one of the greatest f****** series of all time, now airing on HBO and I'm not even a paid f****** advocate, I'm just a big fan, but I would not have taken, I would not have thought they would take Batgirl in this direction. Maybe a spinoff animated series sure, but that smells like a movie to me."

A commenter then said that Batgirl is not Wonder Woman. "Yes, for many reasons I agree with that statement, however, you know, Batgirl handled correctly has a chance to, I feel like, be a billion-dollar franchise depending on who you cast," Smith said. "You're talking about one of the most iconic female superheroes from the DC universe. Like, name...I'm not gonna get into this because the internet will be like 'I'll name 10 others' but like, you say DC female superheroes...yes Wonder Woman checks the box right away, that's probably the first name you think of. I think of Batgirl before I even think of Supergirl. You know The CW has done a wonderful job of building that character up into a franchise, but like, just comic books alone I'd go 'oh, Batgirl.'"

"I feel like, maybe I'm overestimating, maybe it's a half a billion-dollar franchise, but it just feels bigger. But I'm not s****** on it, if that's the way they want to go, great, but you cast like the modern-day equivalent...hey, alright, who's that girl that sings that song that everybody really loves? You cast Olivia Rodrigo as Batgirl, a billion-dollar franchise right there," Smith said.

"Billie Eilish as Batgirl makes you a billion dollars," Bernardin said.

I happen to very much agree that Batgirl has the potential to be a huge franchise, but let us know what you think in the comments. You can also talk all things DC with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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