Batgirl co-directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi hope that the cancelled DC film will ultimately be released. After her terrific performance in the movie musical In The Heights, Leslie Grace lined up her next project playing Barbara Gordon. Filming for Batgirl took place from November 2021 to March 2022, with the project set to debut on HBO Max sometime this year. Unfortunately, that is no longer happening after Warner Bros. unexpectedly pulled the plug from the movie despite it already being almost complete.
When the news broke, both industry people and fans were shocked. In Warner Bros. Discovery's official statement, the company maintains that the decision was merely part of a strategic shift that focuses on making blockbusters and streamlining the DCEU in a way that mimics Disney's MCU. The company also insists that Batgirl's cancellation has nothing to do with the quality of the movie or the performances from the actors. Aside from Grace, the project was also going to see Michael Keaton's Batman return following his involvement in Andy Muschietti's The Flash. J.K. Simmons was also set to reprise his DCEU role as the GCPD's Commissioner Gordon.
Now, El Arbi and Fallah open up about the experience of Batgirl getting cancelled when it was almost done in a new interview with French outlet, Skript (via Indiewire). While they are realistic about their expectations, considering the film isn't fully finished yet, they are hoping that ultimately, WBD allows them to complete it and share it with the public. They also talk about the support they have gotten from fellow directors like James Gunn and Edgar Wright. In the same interview, Fallah also shares his experience trying to save Batgirl footage using his phone. Al Arbi suggested that he record it just so they can have a copy of short scenes, especially the ones that feature Keaton's Batman. When he got to the Warner Bros. servers, however, he learned that he had been locked out of them, denying him access.