J.K. Simmons has spoken out about Warner Bros. Discovery's choice to shelve the completed Batgirl film. The actor, who played Commissioner James Gordon, described the move as bizarre during a recent podcast appearance. He expressed disappointment that the movie, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, never reached audiences.
Four years after the project was pulled from the HBO Max schedule, Simmons shared his thoughts on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. He noted that a test audience did not give it a bad score, suggesting the decision was purely a business matter tied to the WBD merger.
Simmons recalled the excitement of working on the origin story for Batgirl, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon. He said the cast and crew had a good time making what they believed would be a fun superhero movie.
The film starred Leslie Grace in the title role alongside Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Ivory Aquino and Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. Simmons also referenced related DC projects, including the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League director's cut, which fans embraced.
