Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have once more spoken out against the cancellation of their film. Despite this, they remain grateful to have been a small part of the DC Universe.
The cancellation of Batgirl by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav was perhaps the biggest piece of heartbreak to come out of the DC Universe in 2022 (and that includes Black Adam). Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s film was canceled so close to completion that it left many fans and insiders scratching their heads. While the duo does view the situation as incredibly disappointing, they still consider it a great honor to have even been involved in a film like Batgirl:
“It’s difficult to 100 percent get over it,” El Arbi told The Messenger. “Obviously there are worse things in life. We’re Moroccans and we see what’s happening now in Morocco with the earthquake, so that gives everything perspective. But, professionally, it’s the biggest disappointment of our careers. We’ve been going back and forth between the emotions because you want to give the DC fandom and the audience what they want. You want them to judge the movie for themselves, but, at the same time, it was an experience that was a big honor to be part of.”
Even though Batgirl ultimately never saw the light of day, it’s certainly good that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah hold no ill will toward the DC Universe or the fans due to the decision. It’s certainly possible that the film gets revived under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios given how close it was to being done. However, it may be best for fans to celebrate what could have been rather than be weighed down by it.
Is Leslie Grace coming back as Batgirl?
Reports at the time of the Batgirl cancellation indicated that Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are considering having Leslie Grace appear as Barbara Gordon in other DC Comics movies. For now, Grace’s Batgirl future remains in doubt as James Gunn and Peter Safran continue mapping out the future of the DC Universe.
Michael Keaton’s Batman, one of the main characters of Batgirl, is set to appear in Ezra Miller’s first cinematic solo outing as The Flash, which is currently slated to hit theaters in Summer 2023. He’s also supposed to be in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but his cameo may have been cut following a recent round of release date shifts.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were the directors of the Batgirl movie, working from a script by Christina Hodson, the writer behind Birds of Prey and The Flash. Its cast also included J. K. Simmons as James Gordon, Jacob Scipio as Anthony Bressi, Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh and Brendan Fraser as Firefly. Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson and Ethan Kai were also on board in undisclosed role.
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