‘Batgirl’ Cast and Crew Say Goodbye to Scrapped Film With Private ‘Funeral Screenings’
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When Warner Bros. Discovery began a rampage of cancellations and cost-cutting measures, the forthcoming Batgirl film starring Leslie Grace didn’t survive the purge. Co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah recently revealed that they were blocked from accessing any of the footage for the film, which was already in post-production, though far from complete. Now, secret screenings will be hosted on the Warner Bros. lot so the cast and crew of the $90 million movie can say goodbye to their long-time work in progress before it heads off to the film graveyard.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a select group of people, including representatives and executives, have been invited to view what is being called “funeral screenings” of Batgirl. Once the viewings are complete, the film is expected to be locked away in a vault. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav scrapped the film completely as it was in the process of being completed in hopes of taking a tax write-down. The screening will be shown as-is with score and VFX placeholders.
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“The guys from Warner told us it was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,” El Arbi told Skript in a recent interview. “They told us it was a strategic change. There was new management, and they wanted to save some money.”
He expressed hope that the film could be released in the future, particularly so the work of the cast and crew wasn’t for nothing, saying: “We are a small family.”
But some sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that to secure a full tax-write down immediately, Warner Bros. could potentially destroy any remaining Batgirl footage to prove no revenue will be earned later on. Others doubt the studio would take drastic measures, citing other scrapped projects that remain in the graveyard vault.
“If one day they want us to release the ‘Batgirl’ movie, they’d have to give us the means to do it,” El Arbi added. “To finish it properly with our vision.”
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