Fans of Batgirl were sorely let down by Warner Bros. when it was revealed that the movie would never come to be—it was being canceled, alongside a Scoob! sequel, in a massive shift in strategy thanks to new leadership.
The film's directors, Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah, previously commented how they "wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves" and that "maybe one day they will." But, as everything stands now, it doesn't look like that future is in the cards.
Though, at least, it seems the studio may be trying to salvage its relationship with star Leslie Grace by bringing her character, Barbara Gordon, back to the screen in a separate DC Films project. But will the actress play ball?
When it comes to her original film, however, its directors have revealed they are still hopeful that fans can help them get a Zack Snyder Cut-like release for their Batgirl movie at some point in the future.
Batgirl Directors Want Their Own Snyder Cut Story
In an interview translated from French with Skript, Bilall Fallah and Adil el Arbi, the directors of the recently canceled Batgirl movie, commented on how they reacted to the news and how they hope to still see the movie finished one day.
Fallah noted how he "was shocked" and "did not know how to react," but that seeing "support on Twitter... and even [from] big directors like Edgar Wright and James Gunn... was very warming:"
"First, when I heard the news, I was shocked. I did not know how to react. I wanted to break stuff, cry... even laugh. I was like, 'it's not happening.' But seeing all [of the] support on Twitter and all, and even from big directors like Edgar Wright and James Gunn [who] sent us supporting messages. It was very warming!"
Arbi jumped in, explaining how "[they] make [movies] for the audience" and that they hope "the movie [will] be released [one day]:"
"After all, we make movies. And we make it for the audience. Not for us! We just hope that one day, the movie would be released. For the cast, the crew... we are a small family."
He continued, admitting that "there would be a lot of work... if it's released one day," just like there was for "the Snyder Cut" and that [Batgirl] can not be released in its current state:"
"If it's released one day, there would be a lot of work [to do]. Just like the Snyder Cut. It can not be released in its current state. There is no VFX... there's nothing... we still had some scenes to shoot... So if one day they want us to release the Batgirl movie, they'd have to give us the means to do it to finish it properly with our vision."
Will Batgirl Ever See the Light of Day?
There's a big difference between Zack Snyder's Justice League and Batgirl: Justice League wasn't used as a tax write-off. Since Leslie Grace's unreleased debut was used for that purpose, it would make it illegal for Warner Bros. to monetize anything from the movie in any way—so the only way footage would make it out is if it was leaked internally.
Speaking of which, in the same interview the directors reveal how they did try to save some of the movies on their smartphones, but by the time they attempted to access the servers, everything from the project was gone. The hard work of everyone involved is destined to sit deep in WB's archives for the rest of time, and that is truly a shame.
It seems the entire industry is right there with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with many big names such as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige being appalled at such a drastic move. Not only is it unprecedented, but a swerve like that fosters mistrust amongst the studios' talent and creatives. After all, it seems nobody's projects are safe, even if they've been completed and released for years.
