To this date, one of the most reprimanded decisions carried out by Warner Bros. was scrapping Batgirl while it was still very much in the works.
When that happened, the DC fandom was monumentally displeased, to say the least. But if the viewers were this furious at not being able to see the film, imagine the condition of the directors who worked so hard on the project, only for it to get canceled due to budgetary limitations.
However, while Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were naturally disappointed to know that their film won’t see the light of day, they don’t hold any resentment against any entity and would still be happy to work with Warner Bros, with one obvious condition, that the latter won’t halt production in the middle of their project if they were to take up any new ones.
The Positive Side of Batgirl‘s Cancellation
The news about Batgirl‘s cancellation stood out to be one of the most controversial moves by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, who decided to discard the movie due to certain strategic and financial aspects. But scrapping a film that was still in progress at the time and had a budget of $90 million, not only proved to be shockingly upsetting for the audience but was even more unfortunate for the cast and crew that had spent so much of their time and efforts in it.
However, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directors of Batgirl, claim that there were also some benefits that they reaped after their movie got canceled. From the co-CEO of DC to the president of Marvel Studios, various such executives and revered filmmakers offered an incredible amount of support to the duo post the disastrous situation.
“It was unbelievable how much support we got. There was so much support from people in the industry, it felt like all the artists were supporting us and that’s a great feeling because you feel like you’re not alone.”
While Fallah remarked how they were backed up by some of the most renowned names in Hollywood, Arbi noted how big of a deal it was for them, pointing out the feeling that they’ve already “become part of movie history.”
“This is something that never happened before, so we’ve kind of become part of movie history without even trying!”
What’s more, the two are even open to working with WBD again in the future, hoping they won’t be forced to shut down their movie the next time.
Batgirl Directors Are Still Willing to Work With Warner Bros.
The Belgian directors of Moroccan descent, recently revealed that despite the major mishap concerning Batgirl, they would still consider joining forces with Warner Bros.
“Yeah, we’d still work with them. But on the condition that the movie comes out. I mean, if Warner says ‘do you want to do the next Batman or Superman?’ Of course, we’ll say yes. Just so long as the movie comes out!”
And with Gunn and Peter Safran navigating the fate of the superhero franchise, who knows, maybe fans might just get to see a project shepherded by Arbi and Fallah sooner rather than later.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter