There are so many streaming services out there that have taken over the world with their movies and TV shows. Netflix has some great shows (even if their recommendations are broken), HBO Max has released some awesome films, and several other platforms have joined the party and created their own projects.
But what about the movies that no one ever sees? These are ones canceled out of nowhere, even if production is basically done. That’s what we’ll talk about today—four films that everyone has heard of, but no one will ever see.
Batgirl
It has been completed
Credit: Warner Bros.
This is the biggest one we need to talk about: Batgirl.
I remember when Batgirl was announced, and honestly, I was really excited about it, because the actress who would play the titular character, Leslie Grace, was one I was a huge fan of.
Not only that, but Batgirl had an impressive cast, with big names like J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, and more, as well as Michael Keaton returning to the role of Batman.
Unfortunately, Batgirl was never released. The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was in production from 2021 to 2022 and was completed. It was already in post-production, and people were excited. However, HBO Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, announced that the film would not be released.
Why? It was part of WBD’s cost-cutting measures to focus on theatrical releases rather than streaming. Since Batgirl was a relatively expensive movie to make, they wanted to put the funds toward theatrical releases rather than streaming. Batgirl was a nearly complete film, and yet, it will never see the light of day.
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Ember
The animation would have been stunning
Credit: Netflix
Netflix doesn’t have the best track record for some of its releases. Sure, they do have some near-perfect shows and some incredible movies. But they sometimes do randomly cancel great series and occasionally will shelf an entire film.
This time, we’re talking about Ember. While 3D animation has come an impressively long way since it first became a big thing in movies, it’s rare for cinephiles to see full 2D animation, or anything remotely close to hand-drawn. That’s what Ember would have been.
Hailing from the director of Klaus, Sergio Pablos, Ember would focus on a young girl set in prehistoric times who went on a quest to find a ‘spark’ in order to not only save her family but her entire tribe. It’s basically an epic telling of how humanity discovered fire.
In December 2022, Variety reported Ember’s cancellation with the platform citing that cost wasn’t the factor behind the decision. Instead, it was the film’s creative direction and the time it took to make the movie due to its animated format. Even so, the director has full rights to shop the film, so who knows? We might see it at some point. But for now, it’s stuck.
Scoob! Holiday Haunt
A canceled Scooby-Doo adventure
Credit: Warner Bros.
Scoob! Holiday Haunt was going to be another entry into the world of Scooby-Doo. However, it became another victim of Warner Bros. Discovery and their cost-cutting efforts against streaming movies.
The film was going to be a prequel to the animated movie Scoob! and follow the gang in another mystery, this time during the holidays.
The cast included Mark Hamill, Frank Welker, Michael McKean, Andre Braugher, J.B. Smoove, and more. And while it was set to release in December 2022, it was shelved entirely, just like Batgirl. So there is no chance we are seeing this movie.
Gore
This film had just entered post-production
Credit: Netflix
Last but not least, we have Gore, a Netflix film that was never released.
Starring Kevin Spacey, the film was to be based on the novel Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, a biography of the American writer. He was known for his political essays, for challenging certain social norms, and for running for office several times without success.
Spacey was set to play the titular role; however, the film was set to come out during the same time that many sexual allegations were raised against the actor. Netflix had been in the process of eliminating all ties to the actor because of it. This, in turn, led to the movie’s cancellation.
The movie featured several storylines in which Spacey as Vidal would be “seducing younger men,” according to an in-depth report from BuzzFeed. If you’re aware of the allegations, this was too closely related to what was happening in real life. Production on the movie was entirely wrapped when it was shelved.
Will we ever see these movies?
So with that, we’ll most likely never see that film. But to be honest, maybe that’s for the best. However, many of these other films will always remain hidden on the shelves of the streaming companies that once had them. Well, maybe not Ember, but because it’s been so long, we have to keep on hoping.
For Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, we’ll have to kiss those fun movies goodbye. I doubt we’ll ever get the chance to experience them, which honestly is a shame. I hope one day we might get lucky.
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