Leslie Grace, the canceled film’s lead actress, and directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have issued a statement after Warner Bros. decided to scrap the near-complete Batgirl movie.
The comic book adaptation would have been Grace’s biggest acting role since her breakout role in In the Heights. Also, it would have been a rare superhero movie starring a Latina. Grace was enthusiastic about Batgirl even before the film was canceled. She told Variety back in April that she had already had initial talks with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah about what a sequel might look like.
“I’m proud of the love, the hard work”
Now she has commented on the cancellation. In an Instagram post, she wrote: “Dear family! Following the recent news of our film ‘Batgirl’, I am proud of the love, hard work and intention that all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film, which took seven months to shoot in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked under absolute greats and in the process made relationships of a lifetime! To all Batgirl fans – THANK YOU for the love and faith that made it possible for me to wear the cape and, as Babs best said, ‘become my own friggin’ hero!’ Batgirl forever!”
Along with her statement, the post also features videos of her working with the camera, singing along to Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous Girl” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” while putting on her costumes.
After Warner Bros. announced on Aug. 2 that the $90 million film Batgirl will not be released in theaters or on HBO Max after all, even though it’s already filmed and in post-production, unknown sources said ” Variety” that the decision to cancel the film had nothing to do with the quality of the film. Instead, the studio wants to fulfill the desire that its DC films should have a blockbuster character, which Batgirl doesn’t have because the film was originally conceived exclusively for HBO Max.
The directing duo is “sad and disappointed”
The filmmaking duo is best known for directing Bad Boys for Life and episodes of Ms. Marvel” known. El Arbi and Fallah issued a statement of their own a day after the film was shelved, saying they were “sad and shocked” by the news.
In a written statement, they wrote: “We still can’t believe it. As directors, it’s vital that our work is shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish fans around the world had had the opportunity to see and enjoy the finished film for themselves . Maybe someday they will, God willing.” They added: “It was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was only for a brief moment. Batgirl forever”.
Was Batgirl canceled for tax reasons?
Variety also reported that a tax incentive was a driving force behind the decision to scrap Batgirl. The report states: “Warner Bros. will almost certainly undertake a tax write-off, which is viewed internally as the most financially sound way to recoup costs. The company could justify this by saying that it is a post-merger strategy change. But that would mean Warner Bros. can’t market either film — no HBO Max debut, no sale to another studio.”