bat girl
Although it would have received over $90 million in investment, was nearing completion in post-production, and included the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, Warner Bros. Discovery surprised the DC community last week by announcing that it had canceled Batgirl.
Adil El Arbi, one of the movie’s filmmakers, said Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige came to lend his support when the news broke.
While Arbi and Bilall Fallah were working on Ms. Marvel together, Arbi posted a copy of the email Kevin Feige sent them on Instagram Stories.
Emails from Fiege congratulated Adil on his upcoming nuptials and expressed his admiration for their work in Ms. Marvel.
“My friends, I had to reach out and let you know that we are all thinking of you both. Because of the wonderful wedding news (congratulations!) and the disappointing news about Batgirl. Very proud of you and everyone Amazing job you are doing and especially Ms. Marvel of course! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you next. See you soon, I hope.”
Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn and Last Night in Soho’s Edgar Wright also wrote encouraging notes of support for him in another story, Arbi said.
“Your kind words and your experience mean a lot and help us through this difficult time.”
Batgirl’s Leslie Grace expressed her pride in the love, hard work and purpose the wonderful cast and hardworking crew put into this film over seven months in Scotland in her statement on a post on instagram.
“Querida familia!” On the heels of recent news regarding our film “Batgirl”, I’m proud of the love, hard work and intent that all of our amazing actors and tireless crew put into this film for 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among great absolutes and forged lifelong relationships in the process! To all Batgirl fans – THANK YOU for the love and belief, which allowed me to take the course and become, as Babs said best, “my own fucking hero!”
#Batgirl for life! 🦇”
Quality improvement
Budgeted at $90 million, Batgirl was set to star Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons, and Leslie Grace in major roles. The film was due for release in late 2022 but was canceled following unsatisfactory screenings.
Warner Bros. executives claimed they were exploring an overhaul of DC superhero ownership and a 10-year plan to follow Marvel’s lead. To “defend the DC brand”, CEO David Zaslav said the studio would emphasize the quality of potential blockbusters.
In the aftermath of the Batgirl decision, Walter Hamada, president of DC Films, was reportedly on the verge of resigning from the company, but he decided to stay on until the October release of Black Adam.
