Filmmakers of Batgirl, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said that they are ‘saddened’ and ‘shocked’ after the movie was shelved.
On Tuesday, the news broke that Warner Bros. Discovery will not release Batgirl either theatrically or on HBO Max. A day after this surprising news, the filmmaker’s behind the project have given a statement.
Directors of the film, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said in a statement on Instagram, “We are saddened and shocked by the news. 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.”
Thanking the cast and crew, they said that the team did a tremendous job bringing Batgirl to life. Talking about Leslie Grace, they said that she portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication and humanity. Batgirl stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Michael Keaton as Batman. “In any case, as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honour to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment. Batgirl For Life,” they added.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros issued a statement explaining why they shelved the $90 million project “The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” said a Warner Bros. spokesperson in a statement. “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.”
Leslie also took to her Instagram handle and penned a message for her team. From thanking her tireless team for their hard work, to thanking her fans for all the love, she said, “To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!”
