Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Directors of ‘Batgirl,’ Speak Out About Movie Being Killed: “We Still Can’t Believe It”

After it was announced yesterday (Aug. 2) that Warner Bros. Discovery completely killed the new Batgirl movie, which was in its final stages of post-production, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have responded to the shocking news in an Instagram post.

“We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it,” they began. “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.”

They added that “Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.”

Batgirl was set to star Leslie Grace as the titular character, who they say portrayed the superhero with “so much passion, dedication, and humanity.”  J.K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, and Michael Keaton were also supposed to star alongside Grace.

The director-duo went on to praise the cast in their statement.

“Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life. We are forever grateful to have been part of that team,” they said, before naming the “fantastic actors” they worked with.

The movie, which reportedly cost over $70 million, was initially going to have an HBO Max release, though the previous chair of the company played with the idea of a theatrical release. However, following yesterday’s news, it won’t premiere in any capacity.

“As huge Batman fans since we were little kids, it was a privilege and honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment,” the directors concluded. “Batgirl for life.”