'Batgirl' Directors 'Shocked' by News of Studio Canceling Movie: 'We Still Can't Believe It'
Jemal Countess/FilmMagic
The Batgirl directors are "saddened" their movie won't be released to fans.
On Tuesday, news broke that Warner Bros. Discovery canceled plans to release two movies that were deep into production: animated sequel Scoob! Holiday Haunt and live-action DC Comics movie Batgirl. The superhero movie reportedly already cost $90 million, but the studio no longer will release the film on streaming or in theaters.
Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who directed 2020's Bad Boys for Life, spoke out in a statement shared on Instagram Wednesday.
"We are saddened and shocked by the news," they said. "We still can't believe it. 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."
"Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life," the directors added. "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."
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They concluded, "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. Batgirl For Life."
In a Tuesday statement obtained by The Wrap, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Pictures said, "The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max."
Warner Bros. Pictures/Instagram Leslie Grace as Batgirl
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"Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance," they added. "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."
Last month, El Arbi teased the Batgirl movie in an interview with SlashFilm, describing it as an origin story with "homages to the comic book, homages also to the animated series of Batman, and the Tim Burton movies."
