The cancellation of Batgirl had been the hardest, most lacerating move on DC’s part since David Zaslav stepped on board with his massive plans of reconstructing the franchise. But despite the backlash, no statement was issued as to whether the film would find a home among the streamers (at the very least) so as to not doom the project to complete oblivion.
The Warner Bros. Discovery chief seemed to be inclined against the move and as such the film has found its place in the bottomless vaults of DC Films. But with the resurrection of the DC universe in the hands of James Gunn and Peter Safran, it now looks like not all hope is lost, yet.
Batgirl Directors To Meet With James Gunn and Peter Safran
Set to premiere in mid-2022, Batgirl was headed for its exclusive release on HBO Max after an impressive shoot with a cast comprising actors like Leslie Grace, JK Simmons, Michael Keaton, Ivory Aquino, and Brendan Fraser. However, David Zaslav’s intent of steering the industry toward a theatrical release strategy (among other reasons) led to the permanent shelving of the $90 million film.
On 2nd August 2022, the Batgirl director-duo issued a statement expressing their shock and disbelief over the news — a reaction that was shared by the whole fandom.
“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.”
However, after an intense and inclusive search for a Kevin Feige counterpart of DC, David Zaslav finally landed on James Gunn and Peter Safran, the director, and producer extraordinaire to be the co-Chairmen and CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios. The same director-producer duo who are now knee-deep in building the DC Universe Bible have reached out to Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi for a sit-down about agendas that have not yet been made public. The news has certainly caused some ruckus among the fandom and given way to hope that Batgirl may still find itself back on the menu.
Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi Elaborate on the Batgirl Issue
It was made clear in the primary days after the film’s cancellation that the Batgirl movie would need to be worked on even if it found a way to be released again. The film had almost wrapped up post-production when the news of its shelving reached the media. However, despite the release seeming like a bleak possibility now, the directors have shared an optimistic opinion regarding the slashing of Batgirl. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo said,
“There was so much support from people in the industry. It felt like all the artists were supporting us and that’s great feeling, because you feel like you’re not alone.”
Until the meeting is done and dusted with, the fandom can only expect that the pair will walk into the room to discuss their future in the DCU slate and the possibility of directing one of the numerous other projects currently being conceived at DC Studios. James Gunn and Peter Safran made it clear that the DCU is aiming toward narrating “one beautiful big story across film, television, gaming, live-action, and animation.” If such is the case, it isn’t far-fetched to imagine Fallah and El Arbi involved in at least one of the aforementioned genres, given their stellar record with CBM projects and brilliant ideas that seem to echo with the contemporary crowd’s demands.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
