Batgirl: Marvel Boss Contacts Movie Directors After Cancelation

Even though it had reportedly received upwards of $90 million in investment, was almost finished in post-production, and included Michael Keaton returning as Batman, Warner

By Mabel Judith Andrady
August 7,2022
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Even though it had reportedly received upwards of $90 million in investment, was almost finished in post-production, and included Michael Keaton returning as Batman, Warner Bros. Discovery surprised the DC community last week by announcing that it had canceled Batgirl.

Adil El Arbi, one of the film’s filmmakers, stated that Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige came out to him to give his support when the news broke.

While Arbi and Bilall Fallah worked together on Ms. Marvel, Arbi posted a copy of the email that Kevin Feige sent to them both on Instagram Stories.

Batgirl director receives email from Kevin Feige
Marvel

Emails from Fiege congratulated Adil on his upcoming nuptials and expressed his admiration for their work in Ms. Marvel.

“My friends I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both. Because of the wonderful news about the wedding (congrats!) and the disappointing news about Batgirl. Very proud of you guys and all the amazing work you do and particularly Ms. Marvel of course! Can’t wait to see what is next for you. Hope to see you soon.”

James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy and Edgar Wright from Last Night in Soho also wrote him encouraging notes of support in another Story, Arbi stated.

“Your kind words and experience mean a lot and help us through this difficult period.”

Batgirl’s Leslie Grace expressed her pride in the love, hard labor, and purpose that the wonderful cast and hardworking team put into this movie over the course of seven months in Scotland in her statement on a post on Instagram.

“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! 🦇”

Improving Quality

With a budget of $90 million, Batgirl was expected to star Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons, and Leslie Grace in significant roles. The movie was supposed to be released in late 2022 but was canceled following unsatisfactory screenings.

Warner Bros. executives have claimed they are exploring a revamp of the DC superhero property and a 10-year plan to follow Marvel’s lead. To ‘defend the DC brand,’ CEO David Zaslav said that the studio would emphasize prospective blockbusters’ quality.

In the aftermath of the Batgirl decision, Walter Hamada, president of DC Films, was reportedly on the point of resigning from the company, but he has decided to remain in his position until the October release of Black Adam.