Batgirl star Leslie Grace may not have hung up her cape just yet. According to Variety, the 27-year-old actress is still being eyed by Warner Bros. Discovery to continue as Batgirl in some form.

“Newly installed Warner Bros. Pictures Group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, in seeking to mend fences with Batgirl star Leslie Grace, are entertaining the possibility of having her continue to play Batgirl in a future DC film,” they revealed.

But what does that mean?

Batgirl was recently canned following the high-profile Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The reason? It’s believed that the film was deemed irreparable following a damaging test screening – one that Variety reports led to middling test scores. The 10-week director’s cut was deemed to be in bad shape, and so Warner Bros. Discovery decided to use it as a tax write-down instead of releasing the film either theatrically or online.

Batgirl would have seen Leslie Grace debut as Barbara Gordon – a vigilante under the tutelage of an older Batman played by none other than Michael Keaton. But with the movie officially canceled, it looks as though Warner Bros. Discovery wants to shoehorn its lead character into another DC property.

The most likely suspect? The upcoming Black Canary movie.

Black Canary will reportedly see Jurnee Smollett return to the role she originally debuted in the 2020 DC flick, Birds of Prey. A team-up with Leslie Grace’s Batgirl certainly makes a lot of sense, especially considering that she’s already teamed up with other heroes (and villains) in her debut movie.

Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen.

After all, Leslie Grace herself might want to draw a line under it all after Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the rug out from under the production. But with plenty of other DC projects potentially affected by the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, it looks as though it may be some time before we find out.

Want to read more about Batgirl? Check out our rundown of why Batgirl was canceled, not to mention which other DC properties could be affected.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Although The Batman blew away the box office and was apparently confirmed to be getting a sequel, The Batman 2 still isn't a guarantee. According to Variety, the upcoming sequel to Robert Pattinson’s first Batman movie hasn’t yet been greenlit by studio Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Batman 2 is thought to be in development, with writer/director Matt Reeves as well as star Robert Pattinson both returning. But it’s still years away from the box office, and Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t officially given it the go-ahead.

This is despite WB confirming the film with an announcement back at CinemaCon.

The Batman was a huge hit, at least by pandemic standards, when it debuted earlier this year – earning an impressive $700 million worldwide. A sequel is highly likely to still be on the cards, despite recent troubles at the studio in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

IGN’s own review of The Batman gave it 10/10 saying that “Matt Reeves’ violent, thrilling, darkly beautiful take on The Batman more than justifies its place in the franchise’s canon.”

Quite how it sits within DC’s 10-year plan remains to be seen. But I can’t help thinking that The Batman 2, along with the upcoming Joker sequel will be the ones that eventually dominate the landscape in terms of Warner Bros. Discovery superhero films.

Which heroes will join them? That’s the big question.

But it looks as though it could be some time before we get any answers, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav waiting to find his own Kevin Feige before making any further plans.

Want to find out more about The Batman? Check out all the Robert Pattinson movies that Batman fans just have to see, as well as 10 things you didn’t know about The Batman.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Joker 2 is apparently getting a massive budget despite the studio's recent tax write-down. According to Variety, the upcoming sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, could get as much as three times the original film’s budget.

Joker star Joaquin Phoenix as well as director Todd Phillips are thought to be getting a staggering $20 million each for the project, with Lady Gaga getting a $10 million payday for the upcoming film. Combined with the increased cost of complicated musical sequences, this means that Joker 2 will cost around $150 million to produce.

A hefty price tag considering the studio’s recent troubles.

At the moment, Joker 2 is the only DC project to be greenlit following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which saw Batgirl unceremoniously canceled. The reason for its cancellation? A tax write-down which was considered a safer bet than, you know, actually releasing the movie.

And that doesn’t sit well given Joker 2’s new, rather substantial budget.

Of course, that’s still a smaller budget than most superhero movies, making Joker 2 far more cost-effective than The Batman – DC’s recent Batman reboot starring Robert Pattinson. But it’s still far more than Warner Bros. Discovery was willing to set aside for Batgirl.

According to Variety, the idea of releasing smaller straight-to-streaming DC movies is now a thing of the past. Although this was the original vision for Batgirl, it looks as though Warner Bros. Discovery and its new leadership team have canned the idea.

Batgirl is no more, and while Blue Beetle was originally going to debut online, it’s now set for a theatrical release… if it releases at all.

It’s said this Blue Beetle, along with several James Gunn projects, are safe following the Batgirl cancellation, but fans are still nervous. After all, Warner Bros. Discovery continues to put money behind its big theatrical releases… and it wouldn’t be surprising to see other, smaller projects fall by the wayside.

At least, if Warner Bros. Discovery truly wants to replicate Marvel’s success.

Variety confirms that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is focused on finding his own Kevin Feige – a single executive to lead DC’s big screen efforts as part of the company’s 10-year plan.

Until that position is filled, it looks as though Warner Bros. Discovery faces even more uncertainty. At least, if you’re not making a Joker sequel.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Marvel should release fewer movies, says Lost creator and MCU fan Damon Lindelof.

During an interview with Vulture, the 49-year-old filmmaker explained why he thinks Marvel should release fewer films to make the experience more special.

“This is a business,” he said. “It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them… People don’t want things to end. I do.”

It’s difficult to argue against it — especially when you look at what Marvel has released this year.

2022 has already been the year of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arriving in November. If we’re including TV projects, we’ve seen Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel already, and still have She-Hulk: Attorney at Law later this month along with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special soon to follow.

That’s a massive 7 MCU projects in one year. And Marvel’s upcoming Phase 5 and 6 slate shows no sign of slowing down.

“It’s always going to be hard because once you’ve got someone’s attention, you want to keep it,” said Lindelof calling the idea of potentially letting go of something as "antithetical" to the way we're wired.

Of course, Lindelof sees the big picture. But it’s hard not to agree with him.

“I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going,” added Lindelof. “I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two Star Trek movies and Prometheus.”

Want to read more about Marvel’s upcoming projects? Check out what’s coming up in the MCU’s Phase 5 as well as why Phase 6 is the biggest ever.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Marvel should release fewer movies, says Lost creator and MCU fan Damon Lindelof.

During an interview with Vulture, the 49-year-old filmmaker explained why he thinks Marvel should release fewer films to make the experience more special.

“This is a business,” he said. “It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them… People don’t want things to end. I do.”

It’s difficult to argue against it — especially when you look at what Marvel has released this year.

2022 has already been the year of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arriving in November. If we’re including TV projects, we’ve seen Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel already, and still have She-Hulk: Attorney at Law later this month along with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special soon to follow.

That’s a massive 7 MCU projects in one year. And Marvel’s upcoming Phase 5 and 6 slate shows no sign of slowing down.

“It’s always going to be hard because once you’ve got someone’s attention, you want to keep it,” said Lindelof calling the idea of potentially letting go of something as "antithetical" to the way we're wired.

Of course, Lindelof sees the big picture. But it’s hard not to agree with him.

“I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going,” added Lindelof. “I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two Star Trek movies and Prometheus.”

Want to read more about Marvel’s upcoming projects? Check out what’s coming up in the MCU’s Phase 5 as well as why Phase 6 is the biggest ever.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Nickelodeon has released a clip from the upcoming episode of Middlemost Post, featuring iconic skateboarder Tony Hawk as "Hawk Man," which will air on Thursday, August 11 at 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT)

Here's how Nickelodeon describes Hawk's character: "Hawk Man is Mt. Middlemost’s resident daredevil…or at least was before one of his stunts went sideways. Now, with Parker’s help, this Evil Knievel will find the courage to face his fears and regain the fire to attempt his biggest jump ever!"

IGN can exclusively reveal the clip from "Hawk Man" in the video below or at the top of the page:

In a press release from Nickelodeon, Hawk had this to say about voicing Hawk Man for Season 2 of Middlemost Post:

"I’m excited to be voicing the character Hawk Man in Middlemost Post! It’s important to share that not everyone can be perfect all the time, and I hope that Hawk Man can inspire kids to face their fears and challenges through perseverance and determination."

What did you think of the clip? Let us know in the comments.

And for more on the world of entertainment, check out who's been cast as Henry and Sam in HBO's adaption of The Last of Us, our Prey breakdown and ending explained, and everything new to Netflix in August.

David Griffin is the Senior Editor, Features and Content Partnerships for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra has compared Dwayne Johnson's titular antihero to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, underscoring how his character differs from other DC superheroes.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Collet-Serra explained how Black Adam - whose real name is Teth-Adam - is built differently from other DC superheroes, hinting that he operates with his own sense of justice and morality just like Clint Eastwood's iconic badass Dirty Harry. He said he spoke to Johnson early on about the similarities between the two characters and their approach to seeking vengeance.

"Systems were corrupt, so you had criminals taking advantage," he said. "You needed a cop that would cut through the bullsh**, and basically do what needs to be done. That's very much in line with Black Adam and his way of thinking. I think that's appealing to pretty much everybody. Everybody knows how the world sometimes is not fair, and you need people that break the rules to even out the playing field."

Being a rule-breaker and having phenomenal abilities could be a dangerous combination, as Johnson admits that Adam is blessed with "incredible superpowers from the gods that rival Superman." However, he isn't restrained by a strict ethical code and will turn to brutality and violence without delay, potentially making him one of the fiercest forces to be unleashed in the DC universe.

"Superman won't kill anybody. There's a code that he lives by and he honors," Johnson asserted, noting one of the key differences between the two DC characters. "Black Adam has a unique code of ethics too. He will not hesitate—and I like to have a little fun when I'm explaining this—to rip somebody in half. Literally, he'll grab someone by the neck and by the thigh and then rip them up, tear them apart."

Black Adam is certainly not your usual hero. Starting life as a comic book villain and nemesis of popular DC superhero Shazam it looks as though Johnson's portrayal of the classic DC character will veer more into antihero territory, and he says that will bring DC into a new era — one that features the Justice Society of America represented by Atom Smasher, Hawkman, Cyclone, and Doctor Fate.

"It's not your typical superhero movie where a guy wants to be a superhero and gets the powers, and then you spend 50 minutes trying to figure out how the powers work," Collet-Serra said of Black Adam's big screen debut. "This is a movie where you introduce Black Adam right away, and then throughout the movie, you slowly peel back the onion and reveal what happened."

Black Adam is scheduled to be released on October 21, 2022, and it might be worth sticking around for the credits as the film reportedly include a post-credits scene that will introduce "a new element" to Johnson's place in the DC universe. It's currently unknown what the footage will reveal, but it could be essential viewing as Johnson has previously teased a Black Adam cinematic universe.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Nintendo's Fall Guys-style party game, Kirby's Dream Buffet, will be released next week on August 17.

The game was only announced last month with a summer 2022 release window but Nintendo confirmed via a tweet (below) that the game is already right around the corner.

A new trailer was also released alongside the release date announcement, and it shows off some of the costumes and colours available to unlock through playing the game. Players can also customise their starting podium after unlocking new options and even be granted new stages.

Pack some snacks and hit the tracks! #KirbysDreamBuffet is coming to #NintendoSwitch 17/08!

Watch the latest trailer to find out what delicious delights that await you. pic.twitter.com/IxjK6vuw7s

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) August 11, 2022

Alongside a handful of other new gameplay clips, the trailer also shows off the local multiplayer modes. Kirby's Dream Buffet can be played both in split-screen and between multiple Nintendo Switches in the same room.

The game sees players race downhill against others either locally or online as they aim to eat as many strawberries as possible and pick up speed as they grow.

This will be the second Kirby game to be released for Nintendo Switch this year, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land having launched in March. Nintendo had promised a variety of other Kirby announcements were coming as the franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, and Dream Buffet appears to be one of them.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

NBA 2K23 is seeking to perfectly simulate the look, feel, and action of 1980s and 1990s basketball by recreating superstar Michael Jordan’s most iconic moments in the Jordan Challenges.

These include Jordan’s game-winner in the 1982 NCAA National Championship, “the shot” over the Utah Jazz that won him his sixth and final NBA title in 1998, plus other signature match-ups from his career against the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the Bad Boy Pistons.

The challenges won’t be played on modern NBA courts, or even on classic courts with modern commentary, as each moment features a complete overhaul of the visuals and sound to recreate the broadcast coverage at the time.

Gameplay will also change to match the more physical era of basketball, meaning what feels like a foul in modern-day NBA 2K may not be called as one in these challenges. A heavier focus also falls on the post and mid-range game, and players will seek to make cuts to the basket more instead of spotting up for a three-point shot like they do today.

“The Jordan Challenge is an immersive experience unlike anything NBA 2K fans have seen, completely rebuilding the challenges from 2K11 and adding five new moments,” said Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA development at 2K and Visual Concepts.

“Our team took everything into consideration when constructing this game mode, from the arenas, the players, the uniforms, the broadcast, and the play style of the era have been accounted for in an effort to give fans a truly authentic 1980s playable experience.”

Jordan graces the cover of NBA 2K23’s aptly named Michael Jordan Edition and the limited Championship Edition, while Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird feature on the WNBA edition and Devin Booker appears on the standard.

The game will be released on September 9 for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and Nintendo Switch. It’s also coming to PC, though this is still the last-gen version despite significant fan outcry.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Doom and Quake developer id Software is bundling multiple versions of its games together on Steam to make finding and buying them a little less confusing.

The developer explained in a blog post that it will no longer list several copies of the same game on Steam but instead include each version under the one main title.

Doom II, for example, was previously available in four different forms: Doom II, Doom II (Enhanced), Master Levels for Doom II, and Final Doom. Following the change made on August 10, however, all of these games will be included simply under the Steam listing for Doom II.

Ultimate Doom has been rebranded as Doom (1993), and the same consolidation treatment has taken place for Doom 3, plus Quake II and Quake III Arena. Id Software has also updated its collections so that the Classic Bundle now includes Doom (1993) through to Doom 64 and the Franchise Bundle includes these plus the modern day Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal.

"Spanning across multiple decades, id Software’s library of work is as vast as it is full of amazing games," the post said. "However, this means a number of the id’s offerings have been released or reiterated in ways that can make our digital storefronts a touch confusing.

"Rather than write out the differences between Final Doom, Ultimate Doom and just Doom, we’re consolidating our Steam library of titles. For those id Software experts that do know all the variations of our games released on Steam, bear with us as we simplify how our games appear so that newcomers have an easier time."

The different versions that have been delisted as a result of the consolidation will still be available to those who've already purchased them but will no longer appear on Steam's storefront.

The latest Doom game, Doom Eternal, is arguably one of the series' best as IGN said it was amazing in our 9/10 review. The original game, meanwhile, has been modded into a number of weird and wacky devices, as the game has now been played on a McDonald's kiosk, on Twitter, a pregnancy test, and even within Doom itself.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.