JK Simmons said the canceled Batgirl film was a business decision and that he had not seen the final cut. The nearly completed movie, which starred Michael Keaton as Batman and was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022 after the company pursued a tax write‑off, rendering the film unreleasable. Simmons told the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that he enjoyed making the film and believed it would be a fun superhero movie, noting that the cancellation followed a single test screening and was driven by corporate strategy rather than artistic concerns. He added that the directors have been locked out of the material beyond set photos and video, and that the film’s future release appears unlikely. Keaton said he remains supportive of the directors, describing them as nice people, and indicated that he is personally unaffected by the cancellation. Peter Safran, head of DC Studios, defended the decision, stating that the film was not releasable and that the move was courageous for protecting DC, though his comments have been met with skepticism. Industry observers suggest the cancellation was motivated primarily by financial considerations, as other DC projects have been similarly halted. The current DC Universe reboot further reduces the prospects of the film ever being released.