Directors of Nixed Batgirl React to the Shock Move

'We still can't believe it,' say Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2022 6:42 AM CDT
Directors of Nixed Batgirl : 'We Still Can't Believe It'
Leslie Grace, who starred in the title role of the now-scrapped "Batgirl," arrives at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival on June 4, 2021.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

One studio exec called the move by Warner Bros. Discovery to never release Batgirl, despite the fact that shooting on the film has already wrapped up, "unprecedented." The movie's directors seem to agree with that take. They're now speaking out on the move that has taken Hollywood by surprise, reports the Guardian. Describing themselves in a Wednesday Instagram post as "saddened and shocked" at the development, Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah noted that "as directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences." They write that "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."

The two then add: "We still can't believe it." The DC Comics movie, which was rumored to have gone over budget and cost more than $100 million, had been slated to be streamed on HBO Max. Deadline notes that "it doesn't look good" for Warner Bros. to have shelved a movie with a Latina in the lead role, but WB pushed back on that in its own statement, calling star Leslie Grace "an incredibly talented actor" who was not a factor in the axing. It insisted the decision simply "reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max." Grace, for her part, posted a tweet after the news broke, writing, "I am proud of the love, hard work, and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film." (More Batgirl stories.)

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