Production Hell - Batgirl (What REALLY Happened)

[@Jonathan_Collins]

Such a shame Keatons Batman was wasted on this and Flash. He should have been given a Batman Beyond movie as a finale to the Burton universe. Every Hollywood studio seems to be so out of touch now, no understanding of their franchises or characters. Or audience for that matter.

[@archerdavidson6066]

Keaton sucked anyways . He wasn't needed at all. Just brought back for the nostalgia bait

[@smartchai]

ACCURATELY STATED & MOST UN-fortunately TRUE ! They don't listen to the fans even when they are telling these stupid studios EXACTLY what they want and all 🙄🤦😒 ! SHEESH 🙄🤦😒 !

[@ADOGNAMEDCUPCAKE]

​@GarciaCavettbruh your not that guy 😂

[@ADOGNAMEDCUPCAKE]

​@@archerdavidson6066Keaton is always a win what are you talking about 😂

[@archerdavidson6066]

@@ADOGNAMEDCUPCAKE definitely not. Cgi carried him. Too old. Not my bats

[@defenstrator4660]

This was the nicest thing I have ever heard about Batgirl. They can’t say you weren’t fair.

[@joshuafischer684]

The elevator pitch for the story sounds decent. Not fantastic, but there was potential.

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

No lie the plot sounded decent. I love Firefly and him working for the mob to burn buildings to collect the insurance checks actually fits pretty well. If they hadnt race swapped Barbs, this may have been their next Wonder Woman. Oh well, go woke go broke

[@ProxyDoug]

And after Rachel Zegler, I don't think I ever heard of Leslie Grace being antagonistic towards the fans. Keaton and Fraser certainly weren't, so if anything, this could've even made it's money back.

[@insertnamehere5809]

The basic synopsis sounded good & could have worked, it's just a shame that it went off the rails.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

Yes, he went fairly easy on it. I think my friend John P. would expect a lot worse, usually...!

[@Jay244]

To my genuine, absolute shock, that basic plot concept idea you gave ACTUALLY DOESN'T SOUND THAT BAD. I'm surprised. VERY surprised. It's a... reasonable sounding concept. Of course, it would've been utterly butchered and probably would've flopped completely; but y'know.

[@PiotrPavel]

I agree grounded realistic batgirl movie why not? New enemy not new incarnation of joker, could be nice movie at least to HBO

[@Vesividad86]

No I actually like the firefly idea a lot, I hope it's given screen time one day.

[@defeqel6537]

if it didn't have all that multiverse BS, it sounds OK

[@diersteinjulien6773]

I wholeheartedly agree. Firefly is a very underused batman vilain and it sounded good in concept

[@orlock20]

DC wasn't doing well. Blue Beetle opened with half the gross sales of the Marvels while The Flash did about $8 million better than the Marvels.

[@mrjay2184]

I built the scale model of the fire engine at Shepperton studios. Was on set to film the action scenes. It actually looked amazing. So you can imagine how disappointed myself and others were when it got shelved.

[@kevin10001]

I would have anticipated the movie’s release cause I’m a massive Batman fan since finding him through the Adam west series in 1989 when I was 5 years old when it was used as hype for the release of the 89 Batman movie by family channel cause I love watching tv and movies about Batman or his supporting characters I also heard it was going to be a max original movie not sure it the rumors are true on that but overall thank u for your work on something apart of Batman’s onscreen history even though fans like me didn’t get to see it and thank y’all for taking a page out of the ghostbusters playbook by trying to do more practical effects unlike most movies today

[@lightningmonky7674]

I'm sorry! I was looking forward to it! I love The Batgirl and all things related to batman, I was definitely gonna see this even if I have been disappointed by DC

[@rosscoeradio3741]

That’s the saddest autistic thing I’ve ever read.

[@joepwillemsen2057]

Did you also work on other scale models, like the batmobile maybe?

[@OpinionsAreNotFacts]

Ouch.

[@mattypaul87]

It still blows my mind that The Flash, Shazam 2, and Birds of Prey were allowed to be seen by viewers yet Batgirl wasn't. I was actually more interested in seeing Michael Keaton in this movie instead of The Flash.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

Right? Like I know 61 isn't a great score but it's not the worst thing ever either. It's really weird how that was considered a failure when Birds of Prey had a much lower score.

[@mogaman28]

Keaton and Brendan Fraser too.

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

I am very curious to see how Brendan Fraser would’ve played Firefly. I always think he’s one of the most under appreciated actors. He nails a lot of roles he’s given, but sadly doesn’t get a lot of big screen roles

[@geophrian]

So true. But, not shocking at all that the script for this, written by the writer of Birds of Prey, was plagued with plotholes the directors wanted to fix. BoP was one of the worst things I've ever seen in terms of story. It's not even a story, it's a rough assembly of premises and interactions with no connecting threads or driving force other than a McMuffin that has no purpose in the narrative.

[@cattysplat]

The Batman franchise is their most valuable IP by far. Having it get dumped on by a terribad spinoff would have serious consequences for the brand and future products.

[@ajtaylor8750]

I love when The Drinker does these production hell videos. The one he did on Waterworld is probably the best of them all, and I hope he does more in the future.

[@subarashiiashi3894]

@GarciaCavett kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKzmqSppriej6Msi=PyXQkYypWDvAMAkB

[@osvaldoilustrador]

Yeahh, I love knowing what happened behind prodcutions too!

[@namantherockstar]

Drinker inspires me.. My parents said if i get 70K followers They'd buy me a professional camera for recording..begging u guys , literally Begging...

[@dahleno2014]

@@namantherockstarpiss off

[@drewpeacock9087]

@@namantherockstar For music videos or different content or what? Either way your thumbnails are pretty good imo good luck with it all

[@rgentum_201]

I was expecting a story similar to what we're been hearing with MCU films. Script rewrites, reshoots, overblown budget, and set drama. The fact that NONE of those things were actually present makes the cancellation even more startling and makes me kinda wish I could see it. If nothing else, I'll bet Keaton, Fraser, and Simmons gave incredible performances.

[@sukijay4990]

This is an eye opener for me. I always assumed that a film or tv project was written and cast well in advance, budgets settled, locations secured, all of the technical staff engaged, a filming start date settled. What I’m hearing now is that a bunch of incompetent unprofessionals flap around like headless chickens in a total panic as they chop and change everything from one day to the next and demand an ever bigger budget to fix their problems. Obviously there are a lot of people in the film industry these days who aren’t up to the job.

[@x340x]

nah bro, i worked on ad shoots before and super easy to turn into a mess. one thing goes wrong and the whole thing starts to fall like a domino. and that much much much smaller number of people and moving parts than a movie. also a lot of it is savable in post-pro when you are shooting 3 minute ad with simple story (or no real story at all), often with no real big VFX. now imagine 100x the scale + months of 3D and VFX and the movie is supposed to be 2 hours and make sense. doesnt matter how good you are, if supplier makes a mistake with number of delivered props you need for the story or something youre fucked, now the shoot is delayed, now you have to pay overtime, now the budget is growing, locations booked reschedueling etc. etc. goodbye movie on time.

[@Chris-ji4iu]

There are examples of it happening here and there (there’s a great book on the Bonfire of the Vanities 1987) so it does happen. The crazy thing lately is the agenda driven stories keep on coming and keep on flopping. The question is how much longer? Movies have a 3 year lead time? 4 with the strikes? I’m not hopeful and I’m dusting off my DVDs.

[@billjacobs521]

It used to be more like that, and sometimes it still is if the project has the right backing. Like, I am pretty sure both Avatar movies were slowly and methodically crafted because James fucking Cameron wasn't going to have it any other way. Same for alot of big name directors and actors, if they have enough pull. But increasingly, Hollwood is being micro-managed by the corporate suits. And the suits are morons. I personally think this is why we keep seeing MASSIVE movies helmed by absolute nobodies; not to say it's wrong to take a gamble on a young up-and-comer, but giving 9-figure budgets to people who have only every filmed a few indie movies or a couple episodes of a TV show is baffling. However, I bet you anything that those people do ANYTHING they are told; start filming when the script and sets aren't even finished yet? Okay, sure thing boss, please don't fire me! And they are cheaper. Seems like a win-win to an accountant who has no artistic sense and doesn't care that it means lost income 2-3 years down the road. Then you consider that the producers and board members all want different things; to virtue signal, to set up a sequel, to fit into an expanded universe, to make sure nothing "offensive" to the Twitter mobs is done, shit like that, and you have a production that is pulled in 10 different directions that isn't allowed creative freedom, or even the time to make those demands into some sort of cohesive project.

[@sukijay4990]

@@billjacobs521 a great response, I appreciate it.

[@Chris-ji4iu]

@@billjacobs521 Spot on. The amount of work going into the logistics is incredible. I watched a bit of LoTR behind the scenes and what they needed to do to get the equipment, crew and cast to the shooting location on time was a nightmare. Now imagine some exec demanding changes. Throw in the union rules, country regulations, contract legalities ... (for every 3.2 people working you need 1 porta-potty made from approved recyclable materials - see attached 55 page report on size & type - delivered by approved company using 60% renewable energy vehicles unless offset by blah, blah, blah).

[@Diresilence]

This is hilarious. We all thought Batgirl was going to be an unmitigated joke, only for it to turn out "I mean, it wasn't bad. Rough around the edges, but could have been salvagable." But the studio was like "TACTICAL NUKE!"

[@MichaelJM]

Yeah, kudos to the Drinker for providing the nuanced & likely accurate take. Films are usually always 'salvageable' to a point - it's just a question of how much extra money and time they want to throw at something. With Batgirl the test score makes it clear it wasn't as dire as many presumed. A rough cut is a starting point. Who knows if they could have made something "good" in the end, but it's a shame the studio didn't even give them a chance.

[@johnbox271]

"...it wasn't bad..." Is high praise for a movie today.

[@prologue_00]

@@R.P.-hw2rq They probably mean "RINO", but I like to imagine that they think the Drinker is literally turning into a rhinoceros.

[@yesyes3010]

@@R.P.-hw2rq never heard the term? Google it. In short, his chanel has gotten so big now that he is not the free speaker that he used to be. A man of the people. Just watch some of his videos from 3-4 months ago. Money talks, like always.

[@TheAntsh]

I think we all know what happened. They killed off Batman, audience score was low because of that, keeping him alive meant they needed to rewrite and reshoot the ending. It went overbudget so new boss just decided to scrap it and not turn into another Indiana Jones-like flop.

[@sterling7]

"You don't need hundreds of millions of dollars to make a successful superhero film" is a message both Warner and Disney really could have used a couple of years ago. A bit sorry the movie never got released for that reason alone, now. Not that success was a given, of course, but... damn.

[@d33pblu3]

I’ve seen a crackhead theory that making them cheap isn’t really the point. Some dude on /tv/ had a theory that the studios (or likely middle managers) use VFX houses owned by friends/family to defraud and launder money from their companies, that’s why they keep actively sabotaging projects to force more re-shoots and VFX revisions. Sounds plausible I doubt that they are as stupid as they appear to be.

[@lalehiandeity1649]

Animation

[@dylansmithers3224]

@@lalehiandeity1649 The DCAMU had more thought and work put into it than the DCEU that’s for sure.

[@miltonhayek2494]

What always amazes me is how poorly execs can do and retain their jobs. Even getting millions on the way out. While normal people get the axe over something minor.

[@Altares_V]

Because the rich have the money to sue the rich

[@Noodles.Doodles]

I would guess they're doing their jobs badly precisely because they know they'll get millions on the way out - no matter what happens. They live a life with no real risk. Everything is a hobby. Every venture is a club party that happens to produce something as a by-product. Their only fear is being unable to stay 'in' with the top 10% of their social circle, e.g. by buying a bigger house, or maintaining some degree of fame. The idea of dreading a future in which one is unable to support oneself, or one's family, is so alien to them that they can only imagine a person burdened by such concerns to be an amusing kind of fool. I look forward to competition, like Mark Wahlberg's project to create 'Hollywood 2.0' in Nevada.

[@viljamtheninja]

"What always amazes me is how poorly execs can do and retain their jobs" Just remember that not all studio execs fuck up all the time, and there are plenty of examples for when studio interference has been hugely beneficial to a project in order to tame narcissistic directors who think they're the most special thing since the invention of bread. It's just that we never hear about the stories of executives actually succeeding, because it's only in times of crisis and downfall that their actions actually make for interesting stories that are told to the public.

[@Alloveck]

@@viljamtheninja I don't think the assertion was that the executives are always wrong, so much as they suffer comparatively far less consequences for the mistakes they do make. Average low-rank employee makes costly mistake? Fired. Executive makes far more costly mistake? Massive severance package on the way out at worst.

[@The_Zilli]

it's because we're wage slaves.

[@racheldeschaine]

I can’t even put into words how upset I would be if I’d worked on a film that got completely erased

[@R0TB]

its for the best...save wb from losing more money and embarrassment coz it will flop

[@eternalhalloween1]

@@R0TB I think a huge problem is that there have been so many financial WOKE failures recently. And, well, the warning signs were on this one. Add to that the changing of powers. INDY 5 should have been erased. And well, we all know how that one went.

[@normie2716]

They all got their paychecks. It's part of the business.

[@racheldeschaine]

@@normie2716 that’s very dismissive, if you work to create something, you want to see the final product. Painters don’t want to paint just to burn the finished work

[@zzodysseuszz]

@@racheldeschaine it’s not. As an artist, I usually forget about my work once I’m done because the value was in the process of making it. Only a narcissist values the reaction to the work over the actual work or process of making the work itself. I post them online sometimes bc I feel like it, but never have I thought the reaction was what made it worth it.

[@somerandolad]

Such a shame we'll never get to see Brandon Fraser as Firefly.

[@ValiantKnight7983]

brendan. BREN-DAN. not like he's been around for 30 years or something.

[@archerdavidson6066]

Nah we dodged a bullet

[@jasonglebe3235]

@ValiantKnight7983 ​I loved Brandon Frasier in The Mummy!

[@subarashiiashi3894]

@GarciaCavett kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKzmqSppriej6Msi=PyXQkYypWDvAMAkB

[@thechugdude]

​@@ValiantKnight7983nice correction! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@masterofpuppets5568]

Batgirl could have been a good movie if they had been willing to make a film that fans of the source material would enjoy. I like that they were not trying to make another sky beam to be dealt with movie. Given how it was received in test screening i wonder why this got canned, and the Flash got greenlit. If WB could go back i wonder if they would make the same decision.

[@franciscodanconia4324]

My guess is that it was more valuable as a tax write off because it wouldn’t have lost as much money at the theater. And they knew Flash was going to bomb hard because of Captain Crazypants being the lead actor. So Flash might “lose” them more money for accounting purposes that they can write off than if they’d canned it without showing it. Zaslav is a numbers guy.

[@hellomark1]

Some of the best Batman stories were on The Animated Series and they almost NEVER dealt with huge world-ending things or extremely OP characters in a military-style super-crazy suit. In fact my favourite thing was Batman's outfit was just glorified shirt and pants, he was Batman because of his skills, not his toys. That's what I was hoping for in Batgirl, toned down and "plain" gear you could actually run and fight in, and her learning and levelling up.

[@NormanReaddis]

​@@hellomark1 The thing is that Batman is also known for his gadgets in his original comics. The animated series have them just not explained enough.

[@RiylanCorma]

Ezra Miller has intimate and personal experience with lots of the higher ups in Hollywood, that's why.

[@nelisezpasce]

Actually hilarious to think the guy with plural pronouns has more privileges than swarthy Batgirl because he is gay and jewish.

[@cali-pranks]

Well, holy crap, The Drinker just broke into investigative journalism. Good work, mate!

[@Klaaism]

More alcohol!

[@D3xterJettster]

The Critical Dick

[@dondod1959]

Was gonna post this lol

[@someguy42093]

But he got it wrong. The two contender were Haley lu Richardson and Leslie grace. Not Zoey deutch. She was considered but wasn’t a main contender

[@12s]

I had a friend who was working as an extra for the Batgirl movie, they had scenes to shoot in Glasgow, he told me there was more partying than shooting the movie and most of the concentration was at the partying and drinking.

[@-jank-willson]

sounds 'bout right for scotland...

[@gambigambigambi]

EXPECTING SCOTS TO NOT DRINK ALL THE TIME 💀💀💀

[@gerryjackson4061]

I did 4 nights of this as an extra and never saw any alcohol or partying.

[@Meow110]

Ok all jokes aside, the two guys having an EPIC FLAMETHROWER BATTLE on the top of a moving fire truck looked incredible.

[@Raasghul]

and it was a real truck, not cgi!

[@Ayrshore]

it was. You should have seen the stunt firefighter guys they actually set on fire.

[@prince-solomon]

Incredible childish yeah. they burned their creativity with them flamethrowers

[@gagedarnell7988]

I would take the stance that Batgirl got the boot because it was the only film of the ones in production that the fans had reacted negativly too. Aquaman 2 only had the Amber Heard drama which wasn’t going to affect the movie by release time, Blue Beetle had no major controversy, and like you said, Flash was doing good in test screenings. I think they saw that the race swap was already beginning to look unfavorable to the public and it was only going to get worse by the time the movie released.

[@billybonregularjin]

I guess the execs didn’t account for the larger context around the “culture war” for a lack of a better term. DC’s brand had already been tarnished greatly at this point, it’s hard to imagine their core support didn’t look like Swiss cheese

[@SirBlackReeds]

However, I suspect that Ocean Master is in the role that used to Mera's.

[@curtismaize]

Nah I don't think so. The race swap and backlash holds no significance to anything because they keep doing them to this day.

[@LtCommanderTato]

@@curtismaize Tell that to rings of shame

[@anthonykeane4984]

Or possibly as it was filmed in the uk . They could recoup most of the money it cost thanks to the tax breaks for movies . Simply a economic decision

[@POPINCONEJO88]

Personally I think the biggest problem with both Marvel and DC is that they are both constantly trying to compete with each other, bring out as much content as possible, as fast as possible instead of taking a step back and take account what all do they need for their movies. It seems like reshoots have become way too common on recent years as though they are in a rush to start production without having a finished scripts and figuring it out as they go.

[@DanDaniel-sx6iq]

It’s like if McDonald’s and Burger King started competing to see who could make more fancy elevated high class burgers and they just got more elaborate and expensive with weirder ingredients while people slowly stopped eating at both restaurants because that’s not what anybody ever wanted from them in the first place.

[@POPINCONEJO88]

@@DanDaniel-sx6iq that has happened lol especially with Burger King and their weird menus

[@kevin10001]

Well u can see one time the mcu actually tried to compete with dc in the infinity saga with civil war cause it feels more like a response to their fear that Batman vs Superman dawn of justice was going to be better and in my opinion it was better than civil war and marvel ending up making iron man vs captain America dawn of justice with a big massive battle at the end and the civil war storyline gets to be nonexistent cause of there fear over another company’s movie

[@ludovico6890]

And DC seems to be doing better when their projects are independent from one another. Joker, The Batman, the Nolan trilogy, etc. They should be doing their own thing without worrying about the MCU.

[@POPINCONEJO88]

@@ludovico6890 I think independent project are better because it means you can go into that movie ans not have to catch up on over 10 years of previous movies just to understand the story and timeline of when it happened. That's why comic book movies from the 2000s were so beloved even if they were cheesy cause the each stood as it's own thing not tied to a bigger universe.

[@dinosaurwoman]

Okay, that fire engine drifting? THAT IS AWESOME. And the fact that Yvonne Craig Batgirl always entered the room hips first is just absolutely fantastic. But that's it. It's pretty sad I find none of the BTS footage of Batgirl even remotely interesting.

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

I was about 11 or 12 when Yvonne Craig's Batgirl showed up on TV in the late Sixties. As far as I was concerned, she could enter a room any way she liked. Preferably MY room.

[@edgarbm6407]

@@davidanderson_surrey_bc How about Yvonne Craig as an Orion slave girl in Star Trek? oh baby

[@3rdstone1]

@@edgarbm6407 Now we're talking great performance.

[@ianmcgeehan4627]

So...Harley Quinn BOP writer is who wrote batgirl...nuff said.

[@duanebailey6253]

This isn't a drift it just spun out.

[@AnimeSquirrel]

Hearing a movie being torn apart by studio interfere and getting shelves when the crew knew it could still be saved is always heartbreaking.

[@zegratrubbish3876]

I was working in one of the shops in Glasgow that was asked to shut during the filming of this, we had just before this been used in the Indiana jones film and a number of the crew were the same, and it was really interesting to see the difference between what it was like to be closed by Disney and Warner Brothers. The only drama that happened on Batgirl was with the set dressing practical effects - there was 2 teams on Batgirl and one of the teams were more or less shut down as most of them got Covid, this meant that the other team were asked to extra shifts, there was a lot more stress on the set because of this, but this in no was to say it was a production hell, there was stress and a bit more glum faces, but they were professionals and worked hard to get the streets and buildings changed over to Gotham. Some of the painters were crazy skilled and came up with posters and shop signs in a few hours, painted on the street by hand, it was cool to see so many skilled tradesmen doing there job, and there was all so the key issue that most of these people had just got off filming Indiana and you could clearly see the difference in budget. The set builders and site managers on Indy had so much money to play with on Indy, it was crazy how much wase there was on the Disney production, and this was just from working in one location that i see this, but on the batgirl film you could see the money was tight and these people had to put in extra effort to get batgirl done. I think that the crew that had worked on Indy were still happy that had just got a big paycheque from Disney and this probably helped them motivate them self do batgirl - but the crew were in the whole friendly and efficient if not a little stressed. So i was working in my building during the filming of both films, the set security and production staff were great and i would talk away to them often - my location needed set dressed so my door was unlocked most of the time and i would talk to the set crew all the time about the film, and as my job is a little bit linked to what they were filming so they liked to have a gab about what was going on. Some of the things i remember talking about were - there film was not going to be a cinema release, as far as people were telling me on the set this was going to end up on a streaming platform, no idea what one, if i was told and i think it was long forgotten, there were filming around my location for 2 weeks and on the 2nd week there was a total buzz on the set as the first rushes were sent back and Warner Bros loved them, not just a little a lot, the crew were now talking about this would get a cinema release, if not a limited one and that there was a pencil in of a 2nd film all going well. Everyone on the set was super happy you could see that even with how much work it was, there was a chance that they would be back filming next year and it was said to me by a few people this was good because it was work that they would get the following year, not just for the local Glasgow people but the crew were from all over the UK and not all of them make super money, so any mention of more work the next year sounded good to them. There was an effort to make the best film they could, i did not know about the script until you mentioned it in your video, but there was chat about how this would be the first modern superhero film not to use Green screen in a studio, the directors seemed to have the crew on there side and there was talk about trying to make everything with practical effects as much as they could - lots of wire work and real stunts. They all so used a number of shops, offices and empty building to film in so that they would not need to use a studio - a local empty bank was used a ballroom, the Gotham chemist was/is a pet shop, the building firefly is walking out of is a empty shop. They even built firefly's warehouse base between two buildings so they could blow it up. I think going back to your video the script may not have been amazing and the directors may have not got it changed but it looked like they were going to try to make as good a film as they could and with as little green screen and cgi as they could. I never talked to any of the big actors, the girl playing batgirl was about, but i honestly am not star struck and did not really care, but everyone who approached her when she was not filming - and my god actors do a lot of standing about - said she was nice and good fun. Never seen Brendan Fraser did see his big huge car that he got driven about in, and i think the filming of this was before his big return, so this could have been first big return work. What was interesting about both films was how the local media changed there tune on what the films had done to the city - before filming we were approached by a number of news papers about what was happening but i has signed a nda agreement with both films not to talk about what was going on, but the press were on the whole positive about the jobs and money it was bring to the city and the coverage it would give to the city. After filming was over and the film got caned i started getting the press coming to my work and calling me up looking for me to bad mouth the studios and say how it had ruined my business, rubbish, the crew on both films were wonderful and they did everything they could to let me keep running my company - making sure there was no filming at 2 so i could get my mail picked up, they were great and it was a cool few months with something different going on in my life - good fun

[@RubbishGimpy]

Fuck me.

[@heroineburgh]

Wow, love the music on your channel. You document a lot of albums that are probably in abundance with entertaining music, and yet many record stores would toss aside in the free bin. Good call!

[@mooseyman74]

​@@yesyes3010what's a rhino?

[@Asterion_Mol0c]

​@@mooseyman74that's a bot

[@mooseyman74]

@@Asterion_Mol0c so producing generic content?

[@slider5275]

I have been following this channel for a very long time and I have to say... It is truly inspiring how you have become a cornerstone of film reviews. You always offered thoughtful analysis, a fun narrative, and a proper assessment of plot, writing, and direction. Simply put, you applied your passion to this and set the gold standard for online film reviews.... now you are interviewing people like Russell Crowe and Chris Jericho and deconstructing films by speaking to people behind the scenes. Its been amazing watching you evolve from a talented KZbinr to a proper influencer on pop culture. You deserve all your success Drinker. Please don't ever abandon your formula. I always look forward to your content.

[@TheMonkeygoneape]

Brenden Fraser as Fire Fly looks pretty awesome not going to lie and with a voice modulator like he has in Doom patrol it could have been awesome

[@josephnewsome2935]

I’m surprised that they didn’t think of bringing it back after Fraser won his Oscar

[@TheMonkeygoneape]

@@josephnewsome2935 and J.K. Simmons still being pretty relevant in the comic movie world between Spider-Man, and Invincible, and basically everyone wanting to see more Keaton Batman

[@Sig509]

@@TheMonkeygoneape instead we got more of the junkie Ezra xD

[@n4ughty_knight]

Even if the guy is woke as hell? No thank you.

[@jonbaxter2254]

Fraser and Firefly is awesome.

[@rammisalami]

They will give people the worst wigs ever just to make them accurate to the comics but they refuse to just cast someone that looks and acts the part enough that they don’t need a comical wig.

[@nealandkriz]

But then again… does it matter? If Gordon had a black wife continuity would’ve been intact. Like why does it matter? She’s not „Ginger Bat“, having Irish superpowers or anything

[@ohiorushbaby]

THE MESSAGE must always be pushed and preached in every possible place and time imaginable. Even to absolute financial calamity. "Go Broke, Get Woke, Ultimately Croak." -- RazorFist

[@Sig509]

@@nealandkriz by irish superpowers you mean an ability to take a drink? :D

[@fattiger6957]

@@nealandkriz All these excuses are always used to justify stupid casting decisions. A line has to be drawn somewhere.

[@HellsYeah8]

@@nealandkriz Literally every single redhead character from the comics have been replaced by a diversity hire. Every one between Jimmy Olson to Cyclone to Wally West to Starfire to Electro to even Josie from Josie and the Pussycats has been replaced by diversity hire. Even Little Orphan Annie was race swapped for no reason other than every single redhead must be erased. Flash Thompson, Heimdal, Rip Cord, Ariel, Hawkgirl, Iris West, Batwoman, April O'Neil (even more egregious, they kept her Irish name, but made her fat and black), James Gordon, Bow from She-Ra, Isaac from Castlevania, Mary Jane Watson, Lana Lang, Alicia Masters was blonde but still swapped (despite Ben Grimm actually having a black long term GF in the comics), Cecille Horton (any redhead from the Flash comics was genocided by the CW for the arrowverse, to the point that i'll stop naming them, just know not a single redhead survived the CW purge), Alice Monaghan from Hellboy (goes from ethnically Irish with freckles and all to dreadlocks), Artemis in WW was swapped, Firefist was turned into a fat kid from New Zealand in Deadpool 2, Andra was the only one of He-Mans friends to get swapped and the only one that had red hair, Ravonna Renslayer, and Carrie Kelley (CW but not the Arrowverse).

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

What I like the most about these production hell videos is the valuable lessons you can learn from them as an aspiring filmmaker. From the studio politics, to the marketing costs, to the on-set attitudes and personalities clashing with each other. These videos are not just fun, but really useful.

[@yesyes3010]

Woke is what killed the movie. Drinker is turning into a rhino. Unsubscribed.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

@@yesyes3010 He was never a Republican. If you actually watched his videos, he would look at both sides of the argument and then form his opinion. He's no centrist but he was never hard right.

[@yesyes3010]

@@gimmeyourrights8292 it has nothing to do with that. And yes, I have watched him since he started a couple of years ago when he was conservative and anti-woke. Now, that his chanel has become so big, money from big corp is in the picture. He NEVER used to be a wuss, like he is now. Such a shame.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

@@yesyes3010 He's still very anti-woke, he just doesn't let that be the only thing that defines him. Everybody else does the same thing, and there are even people who do it better than him like Reaper or Synthetic Man.

[@yesyes3010]

@@gimmeyourrights8292 well, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I my eyes, and many others, he is turning into a corporate shill. Simple as that.

[@v2micca]

This story sounds very familiar to a situation a friend of mine went through some time ago. In the early 2000's, he was a lead QA manager at a small indy game development studio. They were mostly known for a handful of games released to the Xbox arcade that had been well received. Eventually, they gained that attention of a large publisher that presented a game concept they wanted the studio to develop for them. The concept appeared to match the strengths of the dev studio, so they signed the deal and began working on the game. And, as was the case with Batgirl, the publishers started sending conflicting demands for the tone and direction of the game during the final 6 months of development. The publisher made the final 6 months hell, but the studio managed to complete each milestone and deliver the finished product. However, around that time the Publisher was having its annual meeting with retailers. Remember, this was back in the early 00's before digital distribution would catch on. So, publishers were still heavily reliant on the retail conglomerates of the day. And those retailers took one look at the game, and decided that its specific niche was already over-saturated and they weren't interested in carrying it. So, with the retailers passing, the publisher just completely pulled the plug and cancelled what was already a finished game.

[@JustinZarian]

I’m impressed that you took the time to do the proper work researching into the production. This honestly sounds like there was potential to make a decent movie from this if things worked out differently. I’m still curious to see it come out of cancellation some day

[@yesyes3010]

Woke is what killed it. Drinker is turning into a rhino. Unsubscribed.

[@-redacted_by_youtube]

You dont really think this would have been good do you?

[@-redacted_by_youtube]

​@@yesyes3010did you like your own reply? Kind of egotistical. Maybe you should make a dc movie. We can call it "the dumb knight who likes his own comments." Not very creative but neither was your comment. Gotta dumb it down for you.

[@yesyes3010]

@@-redacted_by_youtube aah, the personal attacks. How lovely. I enjoy all the positive feedback I recive from folks who agrees with me that Drinker has become a corporate wuss. I also find joy in comments from people like you that lack the cognital merit to discuss the substance of my comment, but can only throw personal neanderthal-like attacks.

[@-redacted_by_youtube]

@@yesyes3010 it wasn't personal. Did your feelings get hurt? Do you need a tampon? Wait did I just assume your gender? My apologies ma'am..ugh sir? Shit I never know with you people...shit I did it again. I didnt mean "you" people. Are you gonna be ok champ? Do you need a hug?

[@Dantheman-dr7lh]

It’s always a good day when there’s a new production hell video!

[@subarashiiashi3894]

@GarciaCavett kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKzmqSppriej6Msi=PyXQkYypWDvAMAkB

[@MarklovesAngels]

It's not possible to underestimate how badly Zaslav's decisions have been. This is a guy who never thought interest rates would rise. He borrowed $30 billion dollars, raised $14 billion to pay it down but now owes $45 billion. The net result is cancelling movies instead of releasing them. (Though it looks like that Coyote vs Acme movie IS going to be shopped around at least.) Bottom line: He's using the studio as a cash register, not as an entertainment company.

[@osets2117]

You'd be amazed how great tax write-offs are

[@MarklovesAngels]

@@osets2117 YEP! And way too generous.

[@cattysplat]

The whole of WB studios is going down in flames as a consequence.

[@nighttrain1236]

That sounds like my local council in the UK. Dumb people have a remarkable ability to rise to the top.

[@qZbGmYjS4QusYqv5]

@@cattysplat The whole of WB studios has been going down in flames for years way before Zaslav

[@AL-wu1lv]

Walter Hamada: "Christina Hodson wrote one of our biggest flops Birds of Prey... Oh I know what to do! Let's hire her to write Batgirl and the Flash as well!"

[@eternalhalloween1]

And that's not all! The movie demonizes firemen after their 9/11 heroism! But wait! There's more! It demonizes veterans! And that's not all! They were going to kill Batman! And that's not all! Audiences were getting tired of race swapping! Gee! The question should be: "Who greenlit this film in the first place?!"

[@Rembreiker_lychec9257]

Love your "production hell" vids, almost always with more insight and honest reflection on failed and somehow-made projects anywhere outside of actual documentaries (ala "The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?" or "Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau"). BTW, good to see new merch available, just in time for Christmas.

[@subarashiiashi3894]

@GarciaCavett kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKzmqSppriej6Msi=PyXQkYypWDvAMAkB

[@Mr.LegendDude]

Fantastic work, Drinker. We need to look for more interesting and informative stories like these. We all know Disney is burning. It's about time we focus on other studios

[@yesyes3010]

Woke is what killed the movie. Drinker is turning into a rhino. Unsubscribed.

[@Biggarou]

yeah cause seriouly, Gary is just repetitive any more and talking head videos are starting to get played out. Vids like this one was very much worth watching. it's kind of a shame that they swept this film under the rug to say the same thing over and over again.

[@furrepanther]

The MCU has joined the dumpster fire that's consuming Disney.

[@Vivi_9]

@@yesyes3010 can't tell if this is satire or not lmao

[@yesyes3010]

@@Vivi_9 there are so many things that women don't understand.

[@MrBlack252]

I saw the Bat girl movie at a test screening and there were definitely some parts that looked goofy unfinished but the movie was actually quite good. I enjoyed it, Keaton was awesome and the Batgirl actress wasn't bad at all. It's a shame they will more than likely never release this movie to the general public because the last 5 DC movies were definitely not as good as Batgirl was. Batgirl was better and Frasier as Firefly was awesome to see. Such a shame but I feel fortunate I got to see it with my own eyes.

[@-jank-willson]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how woke was it? Was it true that this show got cancelled because it was too woke?

[@MrBlack252]

@@-jank-willson not true at all. It wasn't "woke" in anything that I saw. It was true to the version of Batgirl that they were trying to tell. I honestly think they decided to shelf it eventhough it was complete because they are completely rehauling the DCU and all Batgirl would've done was add more to the confusion as it is heavily connected to the SnyderVerse. You see JK Simmons' Commissioner Gordon alot more than what I was expecting I thought he would have a cameo but he's in a good chunk of the movie. He's actually in more of the movie than Michael Keaton is. I didn't like the explanation they gave as to why Keaton was in their universe now all they said was "blame it on Barry". They don't really go into detail about it they just assume you saw the Flash before that. They do mention Ben Afflecks Batman a few times and Aquaman. Brendan Frasier was the best part of the movie in my opinion because he is fantastic as a villain. It sucks nobody is going to see how good he can be as a superhero villain I hope he gets another chance at it down the line.

[@hairywelder5188]

I've completed football manager

[@sbtopjosh4098]

I wear two underwears to hide my bulge

[@MrBlack252]

@@hairywelder5188 you never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@weightupmountainguy]

The way you explained the plot sounds like a movie I would've loved to watch if it actually went down that way.

[@Kcpvvy15]

seemed like an actual interesting concept being so dark and gritty and it seemed like the cast and staff really cared about the project. would’ve been interested to see Ari’s vision

[@Klaaism]

Not to mention practical effects like the fire truck scene, Keaton batman, an underutilized Batman villain with flashy pyrotechnics, and etc. Even if the Batgirl actress had completely sucked in her work, it should have done okay. Granted from the footage, I don't believe she knew how to handle a motorcycle well, besides the basics.

[@stephencollins9062]

Nah trans sidekick was utter dross and grotesque not something I would pay for. Vile Queer agenda

[@cinegoth4144]

Please do one on Scream (1996). The cinematographer had to be fired in the final part of the film, plus there was issues with the Weinsteins trampling around.

[@justinsixx90]

I wasn't aware of any of this lol!

[@cattysplat]

Definitely get the feeling the last part of that movie was rushed.

[@History_Coffee]

What's funny is I never would have even thought of watching this movie if it was released but now that it's been hidden away I really want to see it.

[@whatduck943]

It's a genius marketing tactic!!! 😂

[@cattysplat]

What hidden in the box? A hot steaming turd!

[@ChineduOpara]

Well the studios are reacting (poorly) to people like YOU. So the fans have to accept SOME blame for the state of the industry.

[@cjnf11]

Man, this truly sucks, and especially I feel really bad for all the people that worked hard on this project. I think if I would be one of those people I'd feel devastated and heavily question all the future opportunities of participating in film making.

[@phantomx2603]

Our invoices were paid, the main issue is that the residents of Glasgow had their lives disrupted for several months for it to be for nothing, even if the film sucked, people could be like OH i live near here, saw that and can show others the locations. So, short term it sucked not to see the work we did but it's harmed future productions in the city. Batgirl was the first large production to be based in Glasgow and not just use it as a location

[@brick6347]

I bet there's enough people now who want to see this film out of morbid curiosity that they could claw back some of its budget!

[@subarashiiashi3894]

@GarciaCavett kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIKzmqSppriej6Msi=PyXQkYypWDvAMAkB

[@derkeheath5172]

Enough to counter the 90 million tax write-off?

[@CalvinHikes]

Love to see it. And yes strictly from morbid curiosity. How bad is it?

[@kd9749]

Nah, life’s too short to waste on stupid things.

[@the_absurd_hero]

I doubt it. I loved Batgirl, but I’m so un-invested in the DCEU that I’m just never going to watch their products. It’s not like Batgirl (or Batman) fans have nothing. We still have the comic classics and BTAS. Although not new, these stories are fantastic. And as my 7th-grade lit teacher used to say, “Good storytelling is always worth going back to.”

[@Laughy-Flaaffy]

Restaurant: _”Here’s your food. Enjoy your meal that you ordered”_ Customer: _”This is exactly what I wanted. I’m happy”_ ______________________________________________ Disney/Marvel/WB: _”I don’t care what you want. We’re giving you this gender bent race swapped feminist version that’s gay.”_ Customer: _”Okay, then I won’t give you my money”_ Disney/Marvel/WB: _”Why aren’t we making any money!!??”_

[@davidhamilton676]

So, would you say: put a chick in it, make her lame and gay?

[@jackmesrel4933]

Simple as, yet so hard for their hollow heads to grasp

[@Cedwig234]

thats one of the best analogies ive ever heard, like imagine you ordered spaghetti bolognese and then the restaurant people were like "here's how we reimagined it for modern guests" and you'd be served some tofu-based vegan abomination.

[@Ramsey276one]

Perfectly presented!

[@givmi_more_w9251]

@@Cedwig234 Unrelated, but correctly prepared, tofu can actually be quite delicious. It's also not rarely used alongside meat in Asian cooking afaik.

[@Grayson1048]

Babs and Dick have long been my favorite comicbook characters. It was deeply disappointing for me when the Batgirl movie was cancelled, but I always suspected there had been more to the matter than they were telling us; no movie could have been THAT bad, specially under the eyes of a studio which releases abominations like the Birds of Prey movie. Now I finally know what actually happened and I’m sad and disappointed all over again, but I can at least let sleeping dogs lay on the matter. A heartfelt thanks for sharing this, Drinker.

[@anthonyontv]

Don’t call her babs like she’s your long time friend….

[@ReierGotter]

Zooey Deutch would have been an excellent Barbara and Batgirl

[@chocov1233]

@@anthonyontv I don't see why people can call Anthony Stark "Tony" or Bartholomew Allen "Barry" but this person can't call Barbara Gordon "Babs". Heck, Nightwing's full name isn't Dick Grayson, it's Richard Grayson.

[@chocov1233]

@@ReierGotter I assume so, since her and Leslie Grace we're the last two contenders for playing DCEU Batgirl.

[@Autobotmatt428]

You know what pissed me off that Robin suit in the Batcave in BvS wasn't Todds it was Dicks Synder was going hard for Dark knight Returns so guess who his robin was going to be. Hint no Drake, or Damian, Give up It was Kelly. I am glad the DCEU is over Dick Greyson should be treated better.

[@Ivotas]

Thank you very much for this video. It's easy to jump to conclusions as to why the movie was cancelled considering the track record of superhero movies in the past few years, which is why it is very much appreciated that you shine a light on what truly happened. I myself thought it was yet another of those movies that tried to appeal to nonexistant "modern audiences" so consider me surprised when I listened to what you had to report. Cheers mate!

[@adampkalb]

Well, I really hope this tax write-off axe will happen again to The Acolyte, because unlike the HBOmax film Batgirl, The Acolyte is one Disney+ series really does want to appeal to non-existent modern audiences, especially ones who were never fans of Star Wars to begin. Leslye Headland and Rachel Zegler made no bones about how much they dislike what Star Wars and Snow White once were a few decades ago, and now they are sabotaging their own productions that were already doomed from the start, which is why both are in danger of being canceled in post-production if that has not happened already.

[@adampkalb]

That being said, I am happy that the execution of Batgirl's story sounds salvageable enough to have an audience who wants to watch it whenever Warner Brothers Discovery is suddenly willing to repay the tax break so they can unlock the rough cut of the film. Even so, I can see how the intent of rewrites can cause creative differences for any movie studio, even when those rewrites are necessary to flesh out the story by filling in plot holes and revealing important character motivations.

[@InTheDrinkJoe]

I worked on this film. So much of what I saw on set looked fantastic, and whether or not the plot could've lived up to its potential, I know the visuals would have. Costumes and characters still not revealed to the public would've made this a visual feast, and one of the greatest experiences I've ever had on a film set. Gutted I'll never be able to see it.

[@Dullahan161]

Any details on Firefly?

[@InTheDrinkJoe]

@@Dullahan161 unfortunately I wasn't on set when they were shooting Firefly scenes, but was present when we were shooting for another villain. I'm happy to authenticate the fact that I was there on set, but you gotta understand the incredible strictness of the NDA I had to sign for this job, and speaking publicly about it here would be incredibly unwise, so I can't divulge much here sorry to say

[@YoitsmeitsmeitsCairoLeeAGAIN]

I know you won't speak on who this second villain might be as far as specifics but was this villain a major villain in the batman rogues gallery or a latter addition or a villain made just for the movie?

[@swordsmen8856]

I’m sorry dude. That really sucks

[@InTheDrinkJoe]

@@YoitsmeitsmeitsCairoLeeAGAIN supporting antagonist, pre-existing in DC. I’ve just checked online and some stuff is out there of this villain appearing in the film so you can probably find out which one it is

[@TurtleMythic1251]

Seeing this makes me want a production hell on The Flash, it's a damn shame Keaton and Sasha Calle were wasted there.

[@davidsigalow7349]

The Flash was in pre- production since at least 2008. How many people were paid vast sums of money along the way for the dozens of treatments and scripts that were written and never used.

[@chidieberenwadike4165]

It would also be a huge middle finger to Sasha if she doesn't play the character anymore. And Keaton was there for nostalgia bait.

[@garysmith1206]

The insiders were clearly the Directors because Drinker goes really light on them.

[@guyjperson]

This is just me, but after 30 years of working on film and tv projects, I'd be perfectly happy to go to work making a film, get paid, and then watch them tip the project over the side. I've been on several of those before. They just weren't high profile enough to get coverage.

[@BoSmith7045]

Considering what we got with Harley Quinn, Shazam 2, Black Adam, and the Flash I really feel that nothing of any worth was lost. All it would have done was disappoint or outright piss off DC fans.... again. The only thing it had going for it was nostalgia for Keaton and a golf clap for Frasier. The rest was going to be the usual five foot nothing girl awkwardly tossing stuntmen with a grounded and serious/ make it funnier mess of a story.

[@omriex7]

I have to say, that fight scene on the truck with the flamethrowers looked really awesome! I wish we'll be able to see this film one day. Regardless of how the film turned out, we sometimes forget how many film industry workers - from the biggest directors to the rendom 3nd lighting assitants - work their asses off in order to give us art and enteraintememt. So for what is worth, thank you, Batgirl cast & crew, for your hard work. I hope all of you will be making movies and find sucsess in future projects.

[@adampkalb]

We are already off to a good start with Brendan Fraser having The Whale in the same year as when Batgirl was canceled.

[@gamechip06]

This journalistic content and humor is what I'm here for, well done.

[@Non-ya-business]

This was well done my man! I really heard your passion for film production, and movies. I expected you to beat up on it. And you took it in a good direction.

[@Skippy45]

What a great piece of investigative journalism! As the channel gets even bigger and you get more and more access to inside information, I'd gladly watch other videos where you sift through rumors and find some facts that might shed light on other murky goings-on in the film world.

[@adampkalb]

I know, right? I was not so sure about Batgirl's premise, and so far no script has been leaked, but it already sounds way better than the leaked pilot episode script of The CW's aborted Powerpuff series.

[@Skippy45]

@@adampkalb Yeah. I mean just the fact that Batgirl had a simple but interesting plot where everyone's motivations made sense was way more than I expected! 😂especially the arsonist villain, who was continuing his destruction just to survive because he couldn't find work due to trauma...REALLY didn't expect that somewhat-sympathetic angle (and that humanizing angle is something I wish these kinds of movies had more often).

[@kendallandrews8691]

Lol critical cryer would be screaming this movie was woke if it was released. He'd be promoting madam web if they bagged it before release.

[@ClarkKentai]

I truly hope that the full movie eventually gets leaked. It must be astonishingly bad, it fascinates me.

[@freedomisslavery6840]

It won't be. No digital copies exist and the physical film reels are locked in the DC vault.

[@chancepaladin]

it was probably semi-okay, and they'd rather get the tax write off, which is such a slap in the face to everyone who worked on it. the fact they can scrub a movie wholesale after it's complete should be a way folks can sue the product out and get it published somehow.

[@lalehiandeity1649]

Sometime many years in the future.

[@yourbasicninja]

Somebody needs to have a child, raise that child to not only want to become the CEO of WB, but be a huge DC/batgirl fan as well, and within 30 to 40 years time....We can finally have our hands on the Batgirl movie,and release it from the vaults of WB and share it with the world 😢

[@danelynch7171]

@@chancepaladin I'm failing to see how it's a slap in the face to the people who worked on it... Get out of your feels dude.

[@petery6432]

I would love to see some more production hell videos on projects that ended up really good. The Predator video is one of my favorite videos.

[@hassathunter2464]

Autism hunting predator was good?

[@petery6432]

@@hassathunter2464 No, I'm talking about Drinker's Production Hell video on Predator, not the movie The Predator. I probably should have said "The video on Predator" rather than "The Predator video", but it's too late for that because I don't want to lose my heart from Drinker. Stupid movie titling department.

[@idahomike4254]

Well done, Will! The Stalin reference at 10:42 had me falling out of my seat with laughter. Thanks and cheers to you, mate!

[@eternalhalloween1]

I would say the script by the woman who directed the recent flop "Birds of Prey" didn't help. They were supposedly planning to kill BATMAN. And the demonization of firemen only 20 years after 9/11 was probably not the smartest move. And of course, audiences were growing tired of race swapping. This film had too much going against it.

[@thegreenthunder5416]

This was probably the nicest and calmest Drinker has ever been in a video

[@noobmasterruben5167]

Drinker Reccomends top gun 2 has left the chat

[@daniellewis3098]

@@noobmasterruben5167 How about this, the nicest Drinker has ever been towards a modern superhero movie

[@noobmasterruben5167]

@@daniellewis3098 okay then

[@SerraMonsoon]

It's baffling the amount of money put into this soulless projects that could be put into passion projects from indie movie makers with actual good ideas and direction and the will to make them true ... One can hope that is the future

[@SerraMonsoon]

And I would like to add that the idea of multiverses and alternate realities are becoming just a cheap easy way for uncreative writing crews to get out from explaining things that wouldn't make sense otherwise

[@CITYSCAPE333]

Like two cowboys making but butter . The issue with ide films is that’s many of them are fake deep . Which is far worse .

[@fattiger6957]

When adjusted for inflation, the budget of 2001: A Space Odyssey is roughly $100 million. And yet Hollywood can spend $300 million on The Marvels. Just let that sink in...

[@davidsigalow7349]

Just think of how many corny 🌽 but entertaining Ed Wood-esq sci-fi movies your average film school students could create on their cell phones for less than the catering budget for these turkeys.

[@iansoforth]

Deliberately lowering the price of properties to bring in corrupt developers? Where have I heard that plot before? Oh yeah - every single episode of Scooby Doo.

[@elijahsnow3119]

God. This actually makes sense. You know the sad part? The one paragraph premise… sounds pretty damn good. Goes to show a decent idea can sometimes just go nowhere due to seriously bad management.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

And that's all WB has had for 10 years. Shit management

[@heavenlyvirtue8367]

Its just crazy how this film was literally someones vision for the DCEU but got scrapped and rebooted AGAIN. Like what the hell goes on in WARNER BROS?!

[@theunknowncommenter725]

They are all Two-Face. Every decision they make is dependent on the flip of a coin.

[@gwell66v2AnimeReviews]

The people at the top of the Hollywood food chain are nepotism hires brought on bc they know people not bc they know what they're doing. They, in turn, make terrible hiring decisions similarly based on who they know or based on who's going to pander to whatever out of touch buzzwords and topics the people in charge THINK is hot. They're a tiny, insulated, out of touch group of greedy, egomaniacal fools (some of them are straight up criminals as well. Hi Harv. He aint the only one. Vipers/hollywood people who prey on kids have been an open point of discussion for decades) Unfortunatley for them, their ability to lure people in based on special effects and the talents of underpaid animators has run out bc we've finally reached a point of diminishing returns. SHit, go look at the SFX in Army of Darkness, then compare that to the early 90s or 00s. People would legitimately go see movies bc it was a spectacle. it covered up for a LOT of writing and quality flaws in other areas. Well now, it's all old hat. Now, people need actual quality storytelling and relate-able characters.

[@cattysplat]

A money furnace. Don't forget they bought AOL for $182 billion.

[@Olinser]

Remember, the movie was FINISHED. So no matter how bad it was, the studio would have made back some amount of money by releasing it. It would have probably made SOME money back from people that don't pay attention and just saw the 'Batgirl' name. With a worldwide release it would have made at least $100 million even if it were a horrific mess. The fact that they willingly gave up ~$100 million makes me morbidly curious just HOW UNBELIEVABLY BAD it was that they decided the trash can was better.

[@dougrobinson8602]

But if they release the movie, they will have to spend another fortune promoting it. Plus, with the SAG strike, actors wouldn't be able to Do the talk show circuit.

[@osets2117]

The tax write-off was worth far more than what they would've made on this movie

[@gwell66v2AnimeReviews]

Im curious if you're going tor evise your conclusion here considering it was likely less about movie quality and more about A) Saving on the huge marketing cost B) Saving on reshoots and rewrites C) Getting a significant amount back as a tax writeoff. Bt marketing and reshoots, that's looking at doubling the budget, plus another 30 m-50 million and then if it potentially bombs at the theatre, you're set to lose over 100 million. The OG shoot only cost 90 so the tax writeoff on that 90 Mil guarantees a waaaaay more minimal loss

[@nealandkriz]

But why not release it to streaming still? Hundreds of new movies get launched every month without much promotion. They just pop up on people’s recommendations. Make a few bucks over the next 15 years by having a steady income as a 3rd tier movie for long Sunday afternoons. Would that cost a lot too?

[@osets2117]

@@nealandkriz can't write it off if you release it

[@puddingcatsteamboat6393]

i never actually thought i’d feel bad about this film not coming out but somehow you managed to do it. sadly this video was still probably better written then Batgirl would have been.

[@polishprince47]

Reminds me of the 1994 Fantastic Four Movie which was also Never Released... Yet somehow made it out to the public via bootleg DVD.

[@caronstout354]

Roger Corman made that film just to keep the rights to F4...

[@ralph-im-a-star-wars-wiggum]

Production hell is peak Drinker. His unique vantage point from author to captivating internet man to script writer to producer yields great insight. Thank you good sir for using your powers for good.

[@MisterLindsay]

RIP Yvonne Craig. Great to see some of those old clips again.

[@Nousos]

The directors looked and sounded pretty competent based on prior work, and in your interview with them they spoke about how aware they were that story must come before THE MESSAGE. I knew there had to be something more to this than just a bad movie.

[@yesyes3010]

Woke is what killed the movie. Drinker is turning into a rhino. Unsubscribed.

[@Nousos]

@@yesyes3010 We cannot see the movie and neither did the drinker.

[@yesyes3010]

@@Nousos read the rewievs from the test audience. All that tought it was bad said it was because it was woke. All that said it was good said it had great effects. You see a pattern?

[@Nousos]

@yesyes3010 I see someone did an investigation to find out. Did you forget the entire part about how it desperately needed rewrites?

[@yesyes3010]

@@Nousos If you pait a turd gold, it will still be shit on the inside. No amount of goldpaint can change that.

[@zyphon7]

Now I need one of these on “Coyote vs Acme”. Incredible detective work my dear Drinker

[@nctrns]

I've read an interesting opinion regarding scrapping movies for a tax write off. What if, in order to get the write off, the studio would have to release the movie into the public domain, in whatever state it exists when they decide do scrap it?

[@АртемийКлочанов]

That would be unfair to those involved (let alone a nightmare for IP law if you have a multi-film franchise). People will judge based on what they see and ignore the fact it was unfinished, impacting the job prospects of all involved unfairly.

[@cb5117]

@@АртемийКлочанов. That’s actually a well crafted and perceptive take on the situation.

[@Dave_L913]

Interesting to hear that the test screenings weren't as awful as we'd heard. I saw stories that some audience members thought they were being pranked with a fake movie as part of a late night TV skit.

[@Asterion_Mol0c]

​@@yesyes3010bot

[@johndorian1644]

@@yesyes3010It’s weird…I freaking love Drinker, but with his Panderverse video he really excused Kennedy of many of her faults after spending years bashing her, and even blamed much of the problem on the toxicity of fans. He spent a lot of time absolutely savaging Batgirl and now he’s here to say it was a missed opportunity? I think we’re watching an empire collapse, fellas. It was a good run.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

@@yesyes3010 a rhino?

[@yesyes3010]

@@johndorian1644 excatly mate, excatly. I used the word "rhino" (which should have been rino) to gets people attention to the fact that he is begining to change. Corporate shill, is a better term.

[@CoronaSunrise]

@@yesyes3010, considering that he’s Scottish, I don’t think he can be a RINO.

[@masterroasti5588]

I would like to see another Batman and Robin style movie. The practical effects, costume design and soundtrack felt like the essence of the “comic book movie” and they did a fantastic job bringing that to life.

[@Andrew-ps6xe]

Everyone loves to hate the movie, but it is entertaining, quotable, and delightfully campy. A darker Adam West Batman with an actual budget.

[@J__T]

Really would prefer the actual Batman Forever instead of the theatrical version. But I agree in the sense that I think Clooney could have been a decent dark Batman. Ah, the what ifs.

[@thatHARVguy]

The Schumacher Batman movies were toy commercials, but well made toy commercials. I guess they and Batgirl have the same not "allowed to use better scripts" problem. Stupid studio heads.

[@Warriorcats64]

Another Adam West style would be better.

[@Fingersofjoy]

Yes..with Scott Adkins playing batman and Walton Goggins as the joker.

[@THE-X-Force]

11:25 _"... it's another thing to take the blame for a film that no one even got to see"_ Man, that hits hard. You are so right. The entire situation is a tragedy for the people who *_DID_* work so hard on the film. And we can't say it' a bad movie .. because we've never seen it.

[@Ardante11]

Give this man a Journalism Award. Best Editorial

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

How could it have been “unexpected” that race swapping a character, especially a redheaded character, would be controversial? Thanks for finding all this info and making the video!

[@priestmorrison6564]

WaitWaitWAIT I HAD heard ..."THAT" batGrrl was Blaque how is DOMON.DOMI.... Wait.Dommin..domnincan?! okay HOW da FRAKK IS that BLAQUE....ihmmDerps...duh?! Hahaha lol lmao Haha Noppers

[@fattiger6957]

I don't buy for one second this actress was chosen completely on merit. The filmmakers and the studio knew what they were doing when they cast her. They knew how the fans and how the shill media would react and they were counting on it. To claim otherwise is willful ignorance.

[@Felix_McDaggart]

what like mary jane on spiderman, oh wait.....

[@carljohan9265]

@@Felix_McDaggart You mean "casting a girl who actually looks like Mary Jane"? Bold move, I know.

[@autophagia2008]

Oh no there's representation how horrible. These characters were written 60 years ago when having a character be black was unheard of. If we are never allowed to cast someone of a different race than what a character from 60 years ago was written as we would forever have movies with only white casts. Why does their race even matter? How is it integral to this characters story to be white?

[@reviewaccount469]

Drinker: "I secretly discussed the failed and unreleased Batgirl movie with the people that made it, and they say it was a great movie that would have made a lot of money... and I believe them completely" Drinker's Viewers: "Where's the punchline??"

[@lostalone9320]

Whether it would have made money is impossible to know, but as best as we can tell it had a rough script but good performances. No-one has said it was a disaster.

[@MalekitGJ]

Imagine being so blind you can't see WB giving a PUNCH into the movie's guts, only to seconds later kicking its ovaries for a GOOD MEASURE.

[@reviewaccount469]

​@@lostalone9320 Lol!!!!! In what world does a studio writeoff $100m on a whole movie that is "good", but just needs some special effects reshoots in post production?? True we won't know if it were to make money, but we do know that A. The director wanted a budget to fix and reshoot it, so he certainly didn't think it was "good", or even "good enough" AND B. The studio executives certainly didn't think it was good enough, and they'd rather loose $100m on the production budget, than $200m + after the advertising and world release budget..... so C. An educated person could make a fairly accurate guess that it was TRASH.... and if you watched The Drinker's Happy Hours live like I always do, you'd know that this was his and everyone else's view on the live stream when the news first broke..... but you can believe what you want. The Drinker often puts out these "retraction" and turn of opinion videos disguised as "behind the scenes secret knowledge" to keep Hollywood less pissed off at him so he can get his own projects produced and stars more amenable to interviewing. All I can say is I expect no less from a hopeless alcoholic writer, but I just watch him for the entertainment value, not to take him literally or seriously.

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

@@lostalone9320 They wouldn't have gotten my money that's for sure. If a movie has one sniff of wokeness, I'm out. Race swapping a main character is woke. Commisioner Gordon isn't black and neither is Mrs. Gordon. They could have went with the adopted angle, but it's best just to stick to the fkn source material. I'm sure there's PLENTY of redheads that would have made a great Batgirl (if not natural redheads, it's pretty easy to die a white woman's hair red). Also, I have no clue why they're erasing redheads from history. Here's a list of the redhead casualties so far: -April O'Neil - race swapped to black -Ariel the little mermaid - race swapped to black -Starfire - race swapped to black -Mary-Jane Watson - race swapped to black -Annie the little orphan - race swapped to black Keep in mind these are just main female characters. There tons more male main characters and secondary characters that have been race swapped from redheads to black. There's a comprehensive list with ~30 characters. It's insane.

[@DamienDarkside]

@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 "If a movie has one sniff of wokeness, I'm out." Nice statement bud, did you come up with that yourself or was it a KZbinr that gave that to you? Clearly more concerned about skin color over actual characters. You are as much of a problem as people who are making characters race-swapped for no reason. You mentioned absolutely nothing about these performances, talent, movie production, any of "wokeness" in the movies mentioned, or anything other than "skin color black = woke". You also have provided no red-headed actresses as alternatives, further proving you care more about skin color than character. You are the same problem as the other side, just a different coat of paint. Plus your list sucks - April O'Neil: Animated character actually enjoyed by the fans of them movie who went to actually see it, which was a lot. Made a profit too. Nobody cares about her swap because it worked. No reason to be upset, it worked and made sense for the project you clearly didn't see and let other opinions tell you that. - Ariel the Little Mermaid: Swapped by Disney because they can pay a black actress less money than a white one, and they use her as a shield for criticism. Reason to be upset: Disney is purposely exploiting black people still over whites. - Starfire: Nobody saw this, it made zero impact, nothing happened. The show was just bad. There is no reason to be worked up. You're the first person to bring this show up since it was made. Reason to be upset: None the show was a failure and didn't impact anything. Nothing burger. Like Robyn Hood, it will be forgotten for many other reasons than "race swap". - MJ: Was received very well, works well for this Spiderman, and is a good actress. She deserves the role, and her race swap wasn't critical, just a good actress who wasn't white. Massive profits and was very well received. Reason to be upset: None unless you really got a fetish for Gwen Stacy being black instead. - Annie the Orphan was released in 2014, almost a decade ago. Nobody knew this was released. It made 100 million dollars on a budget of 75. It was produced by a large amount of black people such as James Lassiter, Will Smith, Jay-Z, and starred Jamie Foxx. The ONLY white producer was one dude, why the hell would Annie be white? Reason to be upset: Why are you even thinking about this film? This movie was made by black people, there's gonna be black people in it. Really? Scraping the bottom of the barrel that quickly? Come on you could have at least tried to used Fan4stick, granted it was a male one, but we all know the race swap there was the least of it's problems.

[@Olole]

Great video and great footwork! It's weird that they insist on the movie being either dark or silly and light even though a competent filmmaker could make it both breezy and fun as well as engaging. Many superhero movies have done this

[@HappyTeeth.]

One thing about Apocalypse Now: Walter Murch is the real hero. He managed to edit that mess together after he was handed hundreds of hours of footage. The great Walter Murch also gave us the Orsen Welles director's cut of Touch of Evil.

[@dahelmang]

I think it's interesting how Drinker has backwards access. He doesn't get in the studio's good side, he interviews in secret to get the dirt.

[@themacattack540]

It certainly helps that nobody on Batgirl's crew is fond of WBD right now ahahaha

[@jmicro47]

Great video, a good change of pace from your normal and appreciate all of the research done to tell an objective story of the behind the scene story

[@brandonmower9531]

Well done sir. This was some good journalism. Too bad we won’t ever get to see this.

[@immortallvulture]

Now that’s definitely the story I wasn’t expecting to hear about the batgirl film. The fact it got cancelled so suddenly and the state of dc at the time I think everyone assumed that it must have been a complete dumpster fire but this sounds like it might almost have been a good film. Part of me hopes that the film can be resurrected now, if nothing else than i love batgirl as a character and I’d really like to see Brendan fraiser as firefly. Maybe Matt reeves could be convinced to take a crack at it after Batman 2 wraps up?

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

Nope. 100M write off has already been claimed

[@yesyes3010]

It was. Woke af. Drinker is turning into a rhino. Unsubscribed.

[@ellicia2877]

I was most excited to see Brendan Fraiser play a villain role cus I don't think I've seen him do that before 😭 I really do hope they release the movie in the future.

[@viktorfunk1819]

I regret I'll never know how much money the _Batgirl_ movie would have lost.

[@lostalone9320]

Well, if it sold a single ticket anywhere in the world it would have lost less money than it actually did in reality. The Flash had a pretty dismal box office, but at least it made back SOMETHING.

[@marcpeterson1092]

Bingo!

[@VeritasIncrebresco]

Lift weights, eat steaks, learn to negotiate, learn survival skills, read, self reflect, make babies and home school. Only way we get out of this mess, gentlemen.

[@TransKidRevolution]

Ok karen

[@Skeletal33]

So stupid

[@JamesASharp]

Wow! Very interesting. Great work Drinker! 👍🏿

[@beowulfsrevenge4369]

For the Batgirl movie it would remember this day as the day the Drinker exposed the hell that was its production. But for the Critical Drinker, it was a Tuesday.

[@No-One-of-Consequence]

Here's a weird detail. The sign shows Gotham at the intersection of I-95 and I-50. Those highways intersect around Annapolis, Maryland, which is nowhere near anyplace that Gotham City is supposed to be. (Newark, NJ, Stamford, Connecticut, or New York are all commonly associate with Gotham, but Annapolis is a new one.) I just thought that was intriguing.

[@Archangelm127]

Both Gotham and Metropolis are visions of NYC through very different lenses, so y'know... /shrug

[@RogerGoodledy]

@@Archangelm127 Used to be that Metropolis was supposed to be New York, and Goltham was supposed to be across the river in New Jersey. I just find it intriguing that the creators of these films do so little to understand the existing lore.

[@xeroprotagonist]

@@RogerGoodledy can't remember what this was from but I know I've seen a map where Metropolis was actually in Delaware not far from DC and Gotham was in southern New Jersey, and New York City was also present in the story in its usual location. It's kind of an interesting geography problem to have to try to find locations for multiple copies of NYC somewhere on the east coast.

[@RogerGoodledy]

@@xeroprotagonist Wasn't that map in a role playing game? I remember something like that too... It's a fascinating problem. For instance, if New York exists, why would Kansas famboy Clark Kent not go to New York to work as a journalist in the biggest city that needed a superhero most? All kinds of questions and very few answers...

[@AFCN7]

The last two comic book films I watched that I truly loved were The Batman and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Both were proper visions, respectful of the characters they were adapting and listened to what fans wanted. Hollywood is hard, but its not THAT hard.

[@jeremyellismusic]

8:04 Wow, stunt guy life is wild. Riding a moving firetruck while battling with 2 flame throwers for hands, OMG. Sucks for them no one got to see it on the big screen.

[@erichurtado4938]

Avoiding hindsight as much as possible, Aquaman 2 feels like the odd one out and probly should have been the one to get the ax. Obviously I haven’t seen it but using Flash as the jumping off point to the continuity reset always felt like the obvious decision and without AM2, you could probly cast Momoa as Lobo (which seems to be what people want) with less issue since he’s less recently in people’s minds in an existing role

[@lliamthrumble]

As a father of red head its getting really hard explaining to my daughter why they keep replacing red heads in media

[@Spamual2]

As a redhead I understand the disappointment, but when she’s old enough have her read some of the darker comics of barbera, she is an absolute beast and she kicks a lot of ass and her story after her injury is awesome too, im a 31 year old man and I still like her comics cause the storytelling is top notch

[@lliamthrumble]

@@Spamual2 I don't really give time to company apologists but thanks for replying

[@Spamual2]

@@lliamthrumble then you’re weak. You’ll raise a weak child. Come back to reality instead of waiting for the “industry” to do it for you. Thats crazy

[@Dowlphin]

I always wonder whether high-quality projects might get canceled/sabotaged because management worries that if they were sufficiently successful, it would be the death to their shallow cash cow approach because people's standard of expectations would rise and make it harder to consistently deliver quality.

[@bio-weaponn5576]

Dang man for a long while I felt like we've dodge a bullet with this one but you somehow got me to feel curious and even heartbroken over freaking current year Batgirl of all things.

[@SlideIX]

As drinker said the story actually sounded pretty decent. I can understand that some of it might not have translated perfectly from script to film but overall if I read that description in the cinema listings I probably would have been up for going to a showing

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

I actually feel bad for the cast and crew. I’m sure they all worked very hard on this project and now it’s locked away. Just another example of how Hollywood sucks! 😢 (love all the footage you edited together- looked like it could’ve had potential)

[@etantife]

How is it that the studio executives and people at the top are so disconnected from what the audience actually wants? Comic book movies should be the easiest thing to make as you already have things written out and a literal storyboard.

[@kayskaht2052]

Thank you! 💯👏🏽

[@ChineduOpara]

They care about money, not art. I thought everyone knew this???

[@clarity14]

I really appreciate the thorough research and thoughtful response. It’s a hard balance because even though the agenda-driven movies are painful and frustrating I’m still happy to see these characters on the big screen. I wish we could have seen this!

[@bobbywilliams1823]

Damn that kind of changed my perspective and opinion. I always envisioned this being a CW movie. Can't help but be curious as to what could have been

[@VioStarclad]

The cast and plot synopsis actually sound pretty decent. The "she's not a redhead" issue doesn't sound important if one is unaware of the Hollywood Gingercide in which case it's actually fairly annoying; like this happens on a regular basis and I have no idea why.

[@j3kfd9j]

I think redheads are seen as the most "white", because it's a haircolor that's far more prevalent in Europe / those with European ancestry, so they may be specially targeted for race swaps. On the whole, I don't really care about the race swap thing most of the time: regardless of the intentions of those doing it, I think it has a tendency to make race a weaker social construct, which I'm all for.

[@AaronLDeWolf]

​@@j3kfd9jThat's definitely some wishful thinking. Race is not merely a social construct. The concept your aiming for would be racial harmony, which race swaps don't actually seem to facilitate.

[@SammaclauseGamgee]

The irony of it is that I'm pretty sure natural redheads are more of a minority than black people, and have had their fair share of tough breaks, as well. That's what annoys me about it: it's inconsistent behavior from virtue signalers.

[@j3kfd9j]

@@AaronLDeWolf I suppose it is wishful thinking. But the focus on race as cultural is, I think, justified. Where is the 'white' gene or 'Asian' gene? There is none. Just genes that evolved originally in Europe or Asia or wherever else - but which can combine with any other genes through the magic of sexual reproduction. That those genes haven't mixed as much is due to the constraints of culture, not biology. "Racial harmony" is a concept that still regards race as fundamental. It reinforces the belief in race. That red hair is more prevalent in European descended populations is also because e.g. blacks and Irish didn't intermarry - due to slavery, racism, etc. All cultural limits. I guess that's why I don't care that much about race swaps. So what if the genes for their haircolor evolved in Europe or Africa or India or Australia - do they portray their character well? Individualism is the antidote to racism.

[@Peaceful_Gojira]

I'm someone who unpopularly was a fan of Zack Snyder's recut of JL...it was very long, but it did the trick...I was liking the direction it was headed (except for the fact Martian Manhunter decided to sit on the back burner the whole movie, for some reason). All in all, I'm a fan of the Snyderverse JL...and I hate seeing Cavill, Gadot, and Afleck being recasted, because he was such an iconic-looking and greatly portrayed Superman, she was a picturesque and strong Wonder Woman, and he was a gritty and cool Batman. More studio execs making changes, more money to be made for them, I guess. Only time will tell if this was a good long-term investment, or a sure method to ruin them.

[@joebond545]

how tf is it unpopular to be a fan of Zacks justice league?😂 it's literally loved by most fans and critics

[@artnull13]

@@joebond545sure convince yourself 😂😂😂😂

[@GameEsthetics]

I cant imagine the studio would drop it after a 61% test screening when it was basically finished... Makes me think there was an ulterior motive for the studio (wrote this comment before I saw the TAX Break segment) 🍝🍝🍝

[@TheDoveking]

I work in the Scottish film industry, I know a lot of the crew who worked on Batgirl, I even saw a few of them in the clips in the video. All of them were gutted that Batgirl was canned, it felt like a slap in the face especially as they worked hard on it and it was stopped through no fault of their own. Plus the fact that the film was essentially finished.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

Man that sucks so much.

[@TheDoveking]

@@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343 Yes it did and does. I felt the most for the Locations team, because of the large on street sets they needed huge lockoffs and location marshals needed to stand in freezing conditions for 5-10hr a day, sometimes reasoning with some of Glasgows less than fun people and running to get hot drinks when filming was not going on.

[@danelynch7171]

@@TheDoveking I fail to understand why it's a slap in the face though.... I just can't understand how it would be disrespectful to a hired crew that got paid, to not actually release the movie. What's the big deal?

[@TheDoveking]

@@danelynch7171 Good question. The film industry is a strange one, but to get on a big production does not happen for a lot of crew and it's not easy to get onto one. If you are on it it becomes a huge part of your life, well, it becomes your life, 11+hrs a day, for 1-4-6-12 or more months depending on the production. Also there's more stable and consistent work other than the film industry, especially in Scotland, my point being, the majority of people who work in the industry love filmmaking, the pay is to make sure we can survive, but it's not our main goal. To have our work simply washed away and told it didn't matter, here's your pay now off you go is essentially saying that your work didn't matter. it's not just a job to us. To add to that, the higher up the ladder you go the more input into the film you have, the Director & Producer is not the only one who makes decisions, the 1AD, head of stunts, Gaffer, Key grip, Head of Makeup.....etc help to create and shape the film, sometimes even the lower ranked positions (rarely) have a direct input as well. Films are created by the whole team, that's why it matters. There's a lot more to go into so I'll leave this. But I'm glad you asked the question, hope you have a good day ^_^

[@arviejustiniano2359]

​@@danelynch7171opportunities to work on other jobs. You didnt see the finished product