Entertainment
Batgirl director Adil El Arbi ‘learned film was being scrapped while celebrating his wedding’-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
The directors reportedly learned the shock news while in Morocco.
The directors behind Batgirl were reportedly in Morocco celebrating a wedding when they learned their project was axed (Picture: Rex)
The director of the now-cancelled Batgirl film reportedly found out his project had been scrapped while he was celebrating his wedding.
Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah’s take on the DC character had been set to release this year, with production almost finished, when it was abruptly axed.
The public learned the news on Tuesday, with many fans dismayed at the sudden shelving of the star-studded movie, which would have seen Michael Keaton return as Batman.
And it appears directors Adil and Bilal were as blindsided by the abrupt decision as the general public.
As reported by Deadline, the two directors were in Morocco to celebrate Adil’s wedding when they learned their multi-million film project had been cancelled.
Adil and Bilal had reportedly been expecting to return to the US following the ceremony where they would finish up the project, which also stars Leslie Grace as titular superhero Batgirl.
The DCEU film was already in post-production (Picture: WB)
The DC Extended Universe film had completed filming and was in post-production, set to arrive on streaming service HBO Max in the next few months.
However Warner Bros. confirmed it would not see either a theatrical or streaming release, saying the decision ‘reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.’
A spokesperson insisted the decision was not related to any of the actors involved, adding: ‘Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance.’
Warner Bros praised Leslie’s acting and said their decision was not a reflection of her performance (Picture: FilmMagic)
Michael Keaton had been set to return as the Caped Crusader (Picture: Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
The film had an estimated budget of $80million (£66million), with The Hollywood Reporter claiming it had gone an additional $10m (£8.2m) over budget in order to maintain Covid health and safety protocols.
Adil and Bilal’s project was first announced in 2017, with fans catching a glimpse of the set earlier this year as scenes were filmed in Glasgow.
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Batgirl is not the only project axed in recent days, as Warner Bros. also confirmed animated Scooby Doo prequel film Scoob!: Holiday Haunt had also been shelved.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Warner Brothers and reps for Adil and Bilal for comment.
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