Blue Beetle and Batgirl movies are now mid-budget straight-to-streaming projects


Warner Bros' future for the DCEU has been split down the middle. Successful DCEU projects like Wonder Woman and Aquaman are continuing while failed projects are being rebooted – Superman and Batman. However, smaller projects like Blue Beetle and Batgirl are seemingly being tossed around.

Warner Bros’ Blue Beetle and Batgirl movies have been in development for numerous years. Announced in 2018, the BB was supposed to be part of the original SnyderVerse. Before the release of Justice League, director Joss Whedon was working on a treatment for Batgirl. Following the leak of the filmmaker's controversial Wonder Woman script, he exited the project.

Needless to say, it’s been quite a bumpy road to get these movies made. However, there's hope at the end of the tunnel.

Blue Beetle and Batgirl are coming straight to streaming

In a report by the L.A Times, it’s been revealed that the two movies are no longer planned for theatrical release. The mid-budgret DC films have been greenlit to go forward, but they won't be given the spotlight like other projects.

DC Films president Walter Hamada has expressed that “riskier" DC characters will debut on HBO Max. As the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have proven popular in the box office, streaming is giving them a great testing ground for smaller characters. It makes a lot of sense.

The report states that Warner Bros is tilting towards streaming. With HBO Max proving not as popular as Netflix or Prime Video, these new DC films will help bring in new viewers. HBO Max

HBO Max head Andy Forssell has explained that the pandemic test of theatrical debuts on their service is proving successful. Two thirds of viewers who subscribed for Wonder Woman 1984 stuck around for the next big release. As such, Blue Beetle and Batgirl will be tentpole releases for the service.

No release window for these projects were given.

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