'Batgirl': Fans blast WB after Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, and Leslie Grace share heartbreaking statements
Warner Bros. stunned the entire world when they announced on Tuesday that the production house has permanently removed the ‘Batgirl’ movie from the calendar, saying that they have no plans of releasing the film on HBO Max or in theatres. The decision comes after it was reported that the film’s budget went up to $90 million due to several shut-downs and Covid-19-related issues. Filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have finally broken their silence on the matter and released a heartbreaking statement which gives us an idea of how devastated they are after the announcement.
El Arbi and Fallah were reportedly in Morocco for El Arbi’s wedding when WB decided to rock their world with such disastrous news. The filmmaking duo garnered worldwide recognition after directing Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in ‘Bad Boys For Life’. Meanwhile, they took their popularity to a whole new level after getting an opportunity to direct two episodes for the Marvel/Disney+ series ‘Ms. Marvel’, for which they received a lot of praise. But they didn’t know that things will start going downhill so quickly.
In a statement released on their official Instagram accounts, the filmmaking duo revealed that they still “can’t believe” that their movie has been shelved by Warner Bros. and are “saddened” by the fact that their movie won’t be released to fans. The filmmakers also noted that even though the movie was “far from finished”, they would have loved the audiences to see the final result and embrace it.
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“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,” the filmmakers said.
El Arbi and Fallah also thanked the actors and crew members for their “tremendous” job in bringing ‘Batgirl’ to life for which they will be “forever grateful”. They also praised the film’s lead star Leslie Grace for her menacing portrayal of the titular character. The statement continued, “Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life. t 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.”
They concluded, “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.”
On the other hand, the film’s lead star Leslie Grace also shared a touching statement in which she thanked everyone for showering so much love on her and her character. The actress also thanked the fans for allowing her to take on the cape and become her “own damn hero”. The statement read, “Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie “Batgirl,” I am proud of the love, hard work, and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! 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” #Batgirl for life.”
As soon as the statement mentioned above surfaced online, fans expressed their disappointment on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, requesting the cast and crew to stay strong. However, they didn’t show any kindness to Warner Bros. One of the fans wrote, “A movie with 2 Arabs directors and one black woman lead canceled… but not the flash with Ezra Miller.” Another social media user wrote, “Sony is a more competent studio than WB and that’s saying something.” Another social media user said, “They deserved so much better.”
A movie with 2 Arabs directors and one black woman lead cancelled… but not the flash with Ezra Miller…
— Bixby201 (@Bixby201) August 3, 2022
Sony is a more competent studio than WB and that’s saying something
— Doog (@Doog_919) August 3, 2022
Meanwhile, one of the users tweeted, “I feel so bad for them, I can’t imagine what it feels like to have all my work be thrown away like that.” Another Twitter user wrote, “This is the worst thing Warner Bros has ever done. Next level embarrassing.” Another social media user said, “Man. This is so unfortunate. I feel bad for them. Especially Leslie Grace this was a huge opportunity for her. You can tell she was excited about all of this.”
i feel so bad for them, i can’t imagine what it feels like to have all my work be thrown away like that
— ǝ l o Ɔ (@colem2323) August 3, 2022
This is the worst thing Warner Bros has ever done. Next level embarrassing.
— JohnnyMP (@johnnyjl96) August 3, 2022
Man. This is so unfortunate. I feel bad for them. Especially Leslie Grace this was a huge opportunity for her. You can tell she was excited about all of this. #Batgirl
— Dantae !™ (@QMable) August 3, 2022
The news of ‘Batgirl’ getting canceled has certainly made everyone anxious about future DCEU movies as well. Let’s hope, viewers get to see their favorite movies.