“Woke” NBA superstar LeBron James just suffered a huge blow as HBO announced that it is officially canceling his new movie.
The new bosses at HBO scrapped a movie James produced along with several other big-name projects.
The network is dropping multiple titles from the schedule, despite many of them being finished, some with massive budgets that have already been spent.
Yuan-enthusiast James was behind the reboot of the 1990 comedy classic “House Party.”
It was slated to premiere on July 28 on HBO Max but was scrubbed from the release calendar.
The $90 million “Batgirl” was also scrubbed along with the $40 million ‘Scoob!: Holiday Haunt.’
“It’s an entirely new look for a classic movie,” James told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 about “House Party.”
“Everyone I grew up with loved House Party.
“To partner with this creative team to bring a new House Party to a new generation is unbelievable.”
“It’s fun, it was an honor when I got the opportunity to produce it [and] reboot the whole movie,” James later told ESPN.
“I had so much fun as a kid watching that movie and when I was growing up as a youngster, I was like, ‘Man, I hope I have an opportunity to go to one of these house parties where it’s just a bunch of fun, joking around, a lot of dancing.’
“People just having a good time.”
Scoob directors Michael Kurinsky and Bill Haller said:
“We both want to say how proud we are of this movie and of everyone who worked on it.
“We are lifelong Scooby-Doo fans and this was a true passion project for us.
“We don’t know for certain what the fate of our movie will be, but for the crew and the Scooby fan base, we are hoping for a Christmas miracle.
“Thanks everyone for all your love and support.”
The ‘House Party’ reboot produced by LeBron James (@KingJames) has officially been shelved.
The film was set to star Jacob Latimore, Rotimi and more. https://t.co/ov8Xm6qde9 pic.twitter.com/v6E5R16MMj
— Okayplayer (@okayplayer) August 3, 2022
The idea that you could pour a year or more of your life into a project, actually shoot it, get right up to the finish line on it, and then watch it evaporate into the ether for a corporate tax break is a nightmare. I feel so hard for everyone reeling from this right now.
— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) August 3, 2022
From Variety:
Warner Bros. announced Aug. 3 that it would not be releasing the $90 million “Batgirl” in theaters or on its HBO Max streamer despite the movie being fully shot and in post-production.
The filmmaking duo, best known for helming “Bad Boys for Life” and episodes of “Ms. Marvel,” reacted on social media to the film’s shelving.
“We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it,” the directing duo wrote in a statement.
“As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.”
The statement continues, “Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life.
“We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front, and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication, and humanity.”
“In any case, as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment,” the statement concludes.
“Batgirl For Life.”