Batgirl is staying in the shadows—for good.
Warner Bros. announced Aug. 2 that the Batgirl film starring Leslie Grace in the titular role has been scrapped. Filming was complete and the filmmakers had moved on to post-production ahead of the film’s HBO Max release, but according to Variety, several sources indicated that the studio wasn’t willing to increase the movie’s already ballooning budget.
The film’s shelving came as news to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who reacted in a joint statement Aug. 3. “We are saddened and shocked by the news,” they wrote. “We still can’t believe it. 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. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.”
The pair continued, “It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication and humanity.”