‘Batgirl’ directors blocked from accessing footage after film pulled by studio

“We have nothing"

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have claimed they can no longer access footage from the film.

Earlier this month, it was revealed Warner Bros. Discovery had shelved the film after it was originally due to be released on HBO Max.

“The guys from Warners told us it was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,” El Arbi told SKRIPT. “They told us it was a strategic change. There was new management, and they wanted to save some money.”

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Fallah added: “First, when I heard the news, I was shocked, I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to break stuff, cry, even laugh. I was like, ‘This is not happening.’”

The directors addressed a rising social media movement spreading word to #ReleaseBatgirl, but said they could not access the footage to finish it properly.

“[Batgirl] cannot be released in its current state,” El Arbi said. “Before it’s released one day, there would be a lot of work still to do. Just like the Snyder Cut. There’s no VFX, we still had to shoot some scenes.

“So if [Warner Bros. Discovery] wanted us to release the Batgirl movie they would need to give us the means to do it, to finish it properly with our vision.”

Fallah explained: “We have nothing. Adil called me and said, ‘Shoot everything on your phone.’ I went on the server, and everything was blocked.”

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El Arbi recalled, “We were like, ‘Fucking shit! All the scenes with Batman in them! Shit!’”

Warner Bros. Discovery have not yet responded to the filmmakers’ claims – this story will be updated accordingly.

Batgirl star Leslie Grace, who played the titular character, said she was “proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew”.

She added: “To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!’ Batgirl for life!”

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