• In a highly unusual move that rattled Hollywood, Warner Bros. last week axed the "Batgirl" film planned for HBO Max, opting to shelve the $90 million project as the reorganized studio revamps its approach to streaming and DC Comics films. The studio ultimately decided the nearly completed "Batgirl" didn't merit either a streaming debut or a theatrical release. Warner Bros. instead is choosing to write off the film starring "In the Heights" star Leslie Grace as Batgirl and co-starring Michael Keaton (returning as Batman), J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser. It was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Production wrapped in April. Warner Bros.' decision, one without any obvious parallel in recent Hollywood history, sent shock waves through the industry. When a movie doesn't meet a studio's expectations, it's typically sold off or dumped quietly. "Batgirl," green-lit before WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery Inc., will instead simply not see the light of day. "The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max," a Warner Bros. spokesperson said, adding that Grace is "an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance." "We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can't believe it," El Arbi and Fallah said in a statement. "As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha'Allah (if God wills)." They signed their statement, posted on Instagram, "Batgirl For Life." Grace posted on Instagram that she was proud of the work that went into "Batgirl." "I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process!" she wrote. "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!'"
• Widening his attack on Republican states for their positions on guns, civil rights and abortion, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California last week called on Hollywood to "walk the walk" on liberal values by bringing back their film and television productions from states such as Georgia and Oklahoma. Newsom issued the challenge through an ad in Variety that asked the state's left-leaning creative community to "take stock of your values -- and those of your employees -- when doing business in those states." The Democratic governor simultaneously endorsed a legislative proposal that would provide a $1.65 billion, five-year extension of California's film and television production tax credit program.