Emmy nominee Holt revealed to Discussing Film that she had spent over a year crafting the original score for the DC film starring Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons, and Michael Keaton, which was set for an upcoming HBO Max release. On August 2, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed the $90 million superhero movie was given the axe for tax purposes. “I had written about an hour and a half of music,” Holt explained. “I’ve been working on it for a year. So yeah, pretty sad what’s happened to it.” Holt previously scored Disney+ series “Loki,” for which she is Emmy-nominated. “Ms. Marvel” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who helmed “Batgirl,” connected with Holt after her Marvel work.
“It’s a shame that [‘Batgirl’] is not going to be out there in the world after all that time, like having spent a year working on it. Yeah, pretty disappointing,” Holt added. “I think it’s a massive shame. It’s been a pleasure to work with the people involved, but that’s all I can say.”
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Arbi and Fallah issued a statement on social media following the news from Warner Bros. Discovery.
“We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it,” the directors wrote. “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.”
Fellow filmmakers Edgar Wright, Kevin Smith, and James Gunn shared messages of support while reacting to the “Batgirl” cancellation.
And “Obi-Wan Kenobi” composer Holt wasn’t the only musician to have their work completely wasted by Warner Bros. Discovery. On the heels of “Batgirl,” upcoming “Scoob!” sequel “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt” was scrapped as well.
Producer Tony Cervone, who directed the first “Scoob!,” announced that despite the film’s cancellation, it would still be scored.
“So what do you do when the movie is canceled, but you’ve already paid for the stage and the musicians?” Cervone captioned on Instagram. “You record the damn score!”
Cervone added that he was “beyond heartbroken” over the cancellation. The “Scooby Doo” animated feature “Holiday Haunt” was directed by Bill Haller and Michael Kurinsky, with Dara Taylor credited as the composer.
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