Batgirl Directors Adil & Bilall Would Make Another DC Movie: "If They Call Us, We're There"

By Cameron Bonomolo

Should Warner Bros. light the Bat-Signal a second time, the directors of the shelved Batgirl movie would answer the call. Filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, collectively known as Adil & Bilall, were in post-production on their DC movie when the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery made a shocking move: it scrapped Batgirl. While unfinished, the movie had completed filming with In the Heights standout Leslie Grace starring as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and 1989's Batman star Michael Keaton reprising his role as the Dark Knight, back in the cape and cowl decades after 1992's Batman Returns. Save for cast and crew who attended reported "funeral screenings" on the Warner Bros. lot, the abandoned Batgirl is a movie few will ever get to watch.

"We were just getting into post-production. We didn't have the special effects, there was still work, but right in the middle, [work was stopped]," Arbi told French website CNEWS. The duo "tried to convince the people at Warner, but they said no." 

Instead of sinking more money into the $90 million movie, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav chose to take advantage of a tax write-down that would prohibit the company from ever releasing Batgirl in theaters or on HBO Max, which developed the movie for streaming. 

While the duo was "saddened and shocked" to learn Batgirl was getting the ax, it hasn't soured their outlook on superhero movie-making. Before Batgirl, the Bad Boys for Life filmmakers directed episodes of Marvel Studios' Ms. Marvel for Kevin Feige and Disney+. 

Batgirl was "one of the best experiences we've had on set," Adil & Bilall said. "The experience was super nice. Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser, and especially Leslie Grace, who was superb in the role."

The directors received a "super nice" email from Feige and support from filmmaker James Gunn, who has produced movies for both Disney's Marvel and Warners' DC. Asked whether they might work again with either Marvel Studios or DC Films, Adil & Bilall said, "Inshallah [if God wills], as they say, we cross our fingers. If they call us, we are there." 

Upcoming DC Films include Black Adam (October 21), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, 2023), The Flash (June 23, 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25, 2023), Blue Beetle (August 18, 2023), and Joker: Folie à Deux (October 4, 2024). Also in development is The Batman sequel from director Matt Reeves. 

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