'Scoob!: Holiday Haunt' creative team baffled by Warner Bros. cancellation, rallies fans to save it

Yesterday, we got word that HBO Max's Batgirl film, starring Leslie Grace in the title role and a returning Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, would no longer be coming to the streaming service, or anywhere else. The cancellation of the nearly completed film sent shockwaves through the entertainment world, but it wasn't the only major Warner Bros. release to get the ax. Warner Bros. Discovery also killed the release of the upcoming sequel Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, and now the film's creators are working to rally fans to save it. 

A follow-up to the 2020 animated release Scoob!, Holiday Haunt was set to tell the story of Scooby-Doo's first Christmas through the Mystery Machine gang's investigation of an apparently haunted holiday resort. Many of the stars of the first film were set to return, and the film was gearing up for a streaming release during the 2022 holiday season. Now, that's all been brought to an abrupt halt, as a new regime at Warner Bros. Discovery looks for cost-cutting measure amid a restructuring that also includes a higher priority for big-budget theatrical release. 

Shortly after the news broke on Tuesday night, fans began attempting to rally online under hashtags like #SaveScoobHolidayHaunt, and they weren't alone. Co-directors Michael Kurinsky and Bill Haller also weighed in on their respective Twitter accounts, thanking fans for their supporting and expressing hope that maybe the film would be released someday. 

Co-writer Paul Dini, best known for his work on projects like Batman: The Animated Series, also weighed in on the film's cancellation, and expressed bafflement at the decision with the holidays approaching and the film apparently performing well in test screenings. 

"Yes, I'm co-writer, but also, why cancel a 95% finished holiday movie this close to Fall, when you're guaranteed kids watching it from right after Halloween until at least New Years? Makes no business sense esp. as both kids & parents dug the WIP screening," Dini wrote.

Sadly, no matter how outspoken the filmmakers are about it, we might never see Scoob!: Holiday Haunt resurface, but it won't be for lack of trying. Fans have also already set up online petitions in an effort to convince Warner Bros. to change course, earning a few hundred signatures and counting as of Wednesday morning. Tuesday night, Warner Bros. released a statement regarding the decisions, which read:

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”

Looking for more family-friendly flicks in the meantime? Recent animated kids hit The Bad Guys is streaming now exclusively on Peacock.