RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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But good for Discovery as the new owners being smart enough to bury the bad stuff rather than to release it like the old owners would have. Cautiously optimistic that Discovery will insist on quality and a solid plan rather than quantity and seeing what sticks to the wall.
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Strange, I read elsewhere (Variety, maybe; I'm too lazy to look it up) that the movie was great, so much so it was originally elevated to theatrical release rather than just kept as the HBO Max it was first intended to be. Then after that decision was made, when Discovery took over, they cancelled it--along with most other DC offerings. The thing I saw them quoted as saying was not that it was bad, it was just not the explosive SFX action blockbuster they thought a superhero movie should be.
Whether it was good or bad, I doubt its quality was a factor here. $90 million was already spent making this movie, they have more to lose by not at least streaming it and maybe earning a little from merchandising from hard core fans. They have cancelled pretty much everything in the CW verse (except that godawful looking Gotham Knights) and are starting to cancel several streaming and movie projects. Blue Beetle is expected to be cancelled next, and I'm really worried about Black Canary and the final season of Doom Patrol. (The movies advertised and well post production of course are still coming out, like Shazam 2).
The only thing they seem to want to hold onto is the Flash movie, which is the one thing almost sure to be a s$&~show due to all of Ezra Miller's nonsense.
No, they are not cancelling this due to quality. My guess is a high up at Discovery has an issue with DC and is trying to kill it, much like how Channing Dungey when he was at ABC tried to kill all the Marvel tv shows just because he could, but this is at a much higher level such that no one is in a position to argue (unlike the ABC comparison, where Disney forced them to keep Agents of SHIELD).
Many are also further speculating that DiscoveryPlus is going to absorb HBOMax rather than the other way around and most fiction, especial genre fiction, will be eschewed for reality tv, Discovery's specialty. Not sure if that has any merit but it's a scary thought. I adore me some Home and Garden shows and Cooking shows, but not if I have to lose my superheroes for them. I was looking forward to getting Discovery with my HBO Max subscription, but I will readily give up my chance to watch Good Bones (and even *sigh* the Repair Shop) in protest if I have to.
I think your fear is justified DQ. I honestly think Discovery is just going to cancel all non-reality TV in favor what they have because they have no idea what it is people actually want. So yeah. I don't think we'll be seeing much of the DC stuff on the small or big screen unless its animated.
Not sure I believe it was that bad when we got other Sony projects that are much worse, especially down the line...
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Not sure I believe it was that bad when we got other Sony projects that are much worse, especially down the line...
That doesn’t make much sense - you are talking about two entirely different studios. How can one studio putting out potentially bad movies mean another studio’s movie can’t also be bad?
That’s like saying you can’t believe the food at a restaurant that just closed down was that bad, since you hear the food at an entirely different and unrelated restaurant across town is bad.
Sorry, but that’s a pretty naïve and nonsensical thing to say.
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Warner Brothers put out Catwoman. And Batman v Superman. And many other things that are plenty bad. Most studios will release a completed film, regardless of quality, in some form (even if direct to dvd or whatever) because there's always a chance you will get come kind of return on it, even if it's only to mitigate losses. Think of all the s#&%ty movies that are out there. Studios do not cancel a release because a movie is perceived to be bad. They cancel it for other reasons--usually ones that are political (in the broad sense of the term) or have to do with a studio's shift in priorities.
Variety (which generally has a good track record for being a reliable source) states, "Studio insiders insist the decision to axe “Batgirl” was not driven by the quality of the film or the commitment of the filmmakers, but by the desire for the studio’s slate of DC features to be at a blockbuster scale."
Batgirl was nearly ready for release. Good or bad, there are people who wanted to see it--I mean, in addition to seeing the titular heroine, who for some alone would be worth it, who wouldn't want to see Michael Keaton as Batman again or Brendan Frasier as Firefly or JK Simmons being JK Simmons?--so there's a chance to make some money off of it. Moreover, superhero products almost always guarantee merchandising income, which can be massive regardless of box office/streaming success. Yet Discovery has decided not to capitalize on a finished movie that has fallen into their lap that at least some people want to see. Because they feel they need to "set a tone" for what DC products should be, and for them they want expensive, explosive pieces designed solely for the big screen. Batgirl was a street level story designed for streaming, so it doesn't meet their criteria.
Besides, how is it even remotely sensible to presume that the company that makes its revenue off the likes of "Dr. Pimple Popper" and "Toddlers and Tiaras" and "the 90 Day Fiance" is worried about quality? Talk about naive.
TL;DR: It doesn't matter whether the movie was good or bad, movie releases don't get cancelled because they are bad, and Discovery cancelled it for reasons other than perceived quality.
Exactly DQ. Discovery cancelled it because they want more reality TV and less "things that might get us money but might not either." They are in it for what they think the public want. I mean how many times can I want House Hunters international? Or some other crappy DIY TV that is 'reality"?
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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I'm not saying that Discovery is going to do things right by DC, but I do get the impression they want to wipe the slate clean, and start mostly over, and try to do things the Marvel way with a coordinated plan. Sure, Batgirl, might have been good, might not have, but it doesn't matter when it's part of the old DCEU lack of a plan of just, make a bunch of movies and don't worry about how they don't connect, or if they're good or not, just make a lot of stuff.
Will Discovery succeed in that, who knows (odds are no, but if they at least try, I'll give them kudos for trying).
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Okay that makes sense with what you're saying Joel. I just don't think they are doing the right thing by axing Batgirl and Supergirl and keeping Erza "I'm a psycho" Miller.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Okay that makes sense with what you're saying Joel. I just don't think they are doing the right thing by axing Batgirl and Supergirl and keeping Erza "I'm a psycho" Miller.
I agree 100%. They should have just released the stuff that's done, cancelled the stuff that hadn't started, and let it be the last stuff from the DCEU until they get their new plan in place and ready to go.
Indeed.