Probably the single-most talked about film in recent weeks has been Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi‘s Batgirl, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been because of anything good. The project was shelved unexpectedly late in its development process by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who felt the production was not worth release. Reports have indicated the decision was made final because the film’s cancellation would result in corporate tax write-offs for the company, though Warner Bros. Discovery themselves have claimed the move was instead meant to protect the DC Films brand. Either way, Batgirl has immediately become one of history’s greatest lost films, and according to the directors, it may now be impossible for fans to ever catch a glimpse of what was.
In a recent Tik Tok interview, translated by The Direct, Fallah candidly revealed that all the footage from Batgirl was destroyed following its cancellation. Fallah revealed he personally attempted to salvage some of his work via cell phone recordings, but he was too late. After being asked if he had any evidence of his time on the film, he explained:
No, we have nothing. Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead! Shoot everything on your phone!’ I went on the server… Everything was gone. We were [like]… ‘F**ing shit!’… We did not [even] keep [the scenes] with Batman in it.
Bilall Fallah
The film was set to star Leslie Grace as the title character, with Michael Keaton returning to his iconic role as Batman. J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, and Ivory Aquino were also cast in major supporting roles. Fallah went on to state Warner Bros. Discovery had informed himself and El Arbi that none of the talent involved were the reason behind the cancellation:
The guys from Warner Bros. told us it was not a talent problem on our part or the actress [Leslie Grace], or even the quality of the movie. We were right in the middle of editing. There was a lot of work to get done, so it was not like the movie was finished! Warner Bros. told us the cancellation was a strategic change, a shifting in management so they could save some bucks.
Bilall Fallah
The duo did end their interview on a more positive note, however, with El Arbi vocalizing their love for the fans and their hope that Batgirl might still somehow see a release someday. He said in response to the outpouring of fan support online and in person:
It was very heartwarming… After all, we make movies. And we make it for the audience. Not us. We just hope that one day, the movie can be released.
Adil El Arbi
Source: The Direct
