(CNN) Despite the fact that “Batgirl” won’t be seen by audiences, titular star Leslie Grace says she’s proud of the film and cautiously optimistic about the character’s future.
When news broke last summer that the DC comic book film would be indefinitely shelved for HBO Max, shocking moviegoers and industry insiders alike, Grace revealed in a new interview with Variety, published Monday, that she was like everyone else had heard about the development – from reading about it in the media. (CNN, HBO Max, and DC are all part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)
“It was like deflating a balloon,” Grace said, adding that to the day Explaining the news, she said, “I was just absorbing it all, but I was also so sure of the magic that was happening — in my experience and what I’ve seen in my cast and in our team.”
“I really drew on the beauty of the idea that I was allowed to have this experience in my life,” she said. “While I would have loved to share that with the rest of the world, nothing can take that experience away from us.”
Grace said she and her team continue to discuss plans for the property’s future.
“We were so excited about all the ideas that we had because you can see long-term potential in the story that we started building,” she added.
Grace, who identifies as Afro-Latina, also expressed her wish that fans who were hoping to see her iteration of the superheroine would not be discouraged.
“Just keep going no matter what the obstacle is,” she said. “When you’re passionate about something, don’t let anything standing in your way tell you that you’re not worthy, capable, or potential to do what you know you can.”
Last August, a Warner Bros. spokesman said in a statement to CNN that “the decision not to publish ‘Batgirl’ reflects the strategic shift in our leadership in relation to the DC Universe and HBO Max.”
Batgirl, which had completed production and a rough cut that was screened in test screenings, would also star Michael Keaton as Batman, JK Simmons and Brendan Fraser.
And while Grace admitted there were a few bumps in filming, she insisted that “the movie that I got to see – the scenes that were there – was amazing. There was definitely potential for a good film.”
CNN has reached out to both Grace’s team and Warner Bros. Films for comment.
The announcement of “Batgirl’s” fate came shortly after WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery Inc. last April and amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s efforts to cut costs.
Grace mentioned that the Warner Bros. executives she met with after the film was shelved “weren’t really specific about anything creative” about the film, “when words are being said very lightly about the work , which people have really devoted a lot of time to — not just me, but the whole crew — I can understand how frustrating it can be.”
A few months after the decision not to release Batgirl, James Gunn and Peter Safran were named co-CEOs of DC Studios.
The duo then began to blaze a new trail for the studio and make more red-hot decisions in the process. First there were reports about the “Wonder Woman” franchise, its third part Director Patty Jenkins said it remains in development but with fate uncertain, and in December Henry Cavill announced his iteration of Superman would not happen advance in new films.
Gunn said at the time that decisions for the DC Universe “will be based on what we think is best for the story.”
“Maybe these decisions are great, maybe not, but they are made with a sincere heart and integrity and always with history in mind,” he tweeted last December.