An extensive feature piece has landed via The Hollywood Reporter that has examined, at length, Supergirl and its unfolding box office failures. It has, unsurprisingly, pointed to some behind-the-scenes turmoil and a disagreement between the director and the studio.
It was widely discussed at the time that the movie underwent a fairly extensive test screening process. Now it is being revealed exactly why this was. It was understood that there were competing cuts, a studio cut, and a cut made by director Craig Gillespie. This was being talked about in March.
What is now becoming clear is how much tension there was around the two visions. Gillespie’s version ran 11 minutes longer and featured more of villain Krem and his motivations. Gillespie reportedly had creative differences over the direction of the movie, and low test scores arriving in December spurred the studio into action to create their own cut.
Writer Jeremy Slater was brought in to help with the post-production process, writing scenes for a nine-day shoot of additional photography. They also reworked the final fight.
Both versions were screened, and while the studio one scored better, there was not much clear blue water between them, and both scored lower than some earlier cuts. In short, this left them in a mess and with time running out fast.
Supergirl made a debut to woeful box office, and this weekend’s drop is expected to be brutal. The article features a killer quote that several online outlets have picked up on from a studio executive:
“Gen Z does not care about superhero movies. That genre belongs to millennials.”
DC is responding the only way they really can, by throttling up and powering through. Lanterns is coming on HBO. Clayface and Man of Tomorrow are deep into production, The Brave & The Bold is reportedly being accelerated, and Deathstroke and Bane is now being pushed, while the Elseworlds story The Batman: Part II is shooting.
TV will have a Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) anthology show that will include Gorilla Grodd, and there is a second season of the animated Creature Commandos on the way.
Added to all of this, The Hollywood Reporter piece confirms that a TV series focused on Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) is moving into active development, with Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) writing the pilot.
It appears they simply will not be stopped… yet.
