The recent news of Batgirl's cancellation has rocked the film industry and the many fans surrounding the project. Not only was it a surprise, but it was seemingly the start of a major direction shift for Warner Bros. after its recent merger with Discovery. While the film was nowhere near complete, it was still much closer to being done than it was in development. But even though all hope seems lost for the project, there could still be a way to save the picture -- as this has happened before.According to a recent Twitter thread, the films Slumdog Millionaire and Home Alone dealt with a similar issue in terms of never seeing the light of day, or at least a full theatrical release. However, Fox thankfully came to both films' rescue, and they quickly became two of the biggest releases for both studios. The stories surrounding the projects were filled with many twists and turns but may have paved the way for a potentially happy ending for Batgirl and the cast and crew.
Slumdog Millionaire was the story about a young man who won the grand prize in the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Filled with drama, the movie was ultimately a feel-good film as it showed the perseverance and faith of one man who won it all. Home Alone featured a young boy whose family forgot him when they left for a Christmas vacation. Left to fend for himself, the young boy eventually had to fend off two burglars with elaborate traps in what eventually became a Christmas classic.
In the case of Slumdog Millionaire, the film was initially going to be distributed by Warner Independent Pictures. However, the studio shut down before the film could be released. As a result, it was discussed that this film and a handful of others would be served better as direct-to-video releases. But thankfully, Slumdog Millionaire was picked up in a joint venture with Fox Searchlight Pictures and got a theatrical release. Since then, the film grossed $378.4 million at the box office and won eight of the ten Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture.
Home Alone was a film that, under Warner Bros., was also nearly shelved as the budget began to go up, and the studio wasn't as interested in supplying the full amount of money needed. However, Fox eventually came to the rescue and picked up the film. As stated before, since the film has become a Christmas staple, it's no surprise that it garnered a whopping $476.6 million and was the highest-grossing film of 1990. In both instances, these films could've suffered a tragic end had they not gotten support from another studio. However, this was averted and ultimately reshaped how audiences looked at movies during those times.
It's unclear what's next for Batgirl, but should the studio truly not have an interest in the project's completion, there wouldn't be any loss on its part in handing it over to another studio like Paramount. Even if the film didn't meet the expectations that fans had upon its release, it would still be a better outcome than being scrapped before it even got a chance to prove itself. If Slumdog Millionaire and Home Alone have proven anything with their production stories, it's that a film like Batgirl could thrive and be a huge success if given the chance.