Batgirl remains the most prominent victim of Warner Bros. Discovery’s widespread cancellations, having been shoved into the proverbial vault in exchange for tax write-downs. Despite the film being well into post-production, Warner Bros. executives decided to pull the plug on the feature, a move that still haunts the picture’s directors to date. According to co-director Adil El Arbi, there was a sense of renewed sadness after watching The Flash and realizing Batgirl was canceled.
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“We watched it and we were sad,” Adil told recently told Insider of The Flash. “We love director Andy Muschietti and his sister Barbara, who produced the movie. But when we watched it, we felt we could have been part of the whole thing.”
“We didn’t get the chance to show Batgirl to the world and let the audience judge for themselves,” he continued. “Because the audience really is our ultimate boss and should be the deciders of if something is good or bad, or if something should be seen or not.”
Even then, the duo still harbors new ill feelings for newfound DC Studios executives, with both suggesting they want to return to the DC Universe before too long at all. “There’s still a feeling of unfinished business,” co-director Bilall Fallal added.
“Our love for DC, Batman, Batgirl, Gotham City, it’s so big that, as fans, we could never say no to another project,” Adil concluded. “If we got another chance to be part of it, we’d do it. We didn’t get our day in court. We still want to make our case.”
Why was Batgirl canceled?
In a statement after the film’s cancellation, Warners executives said the decision was made as a result of a “strategic shift.”
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement when the cancellation was first confirmed. “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.”
The DC Universe officially kicks off with Creature Commandos, which has yet to set a release date, and Superman: Legacy, which enters theaters July 11, 2025.
What part of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters excites you most? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!
