Directors stunned by decision not to release ‘Batgirl’

“Batgirl” producers said Wednesday they were “appalled” by their studio’s decision not to release the $90 million superhero movie.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which has already been filmed, will not be released in theaters or on the HBO Max streaming platform available in the United States.

An adaptation of the DC Comics character’s adventures, the film stars Leslie Grace in the lead role, teaming up with Michael Keaton to once again don the legendary Batman costume.

“We are saddened and shocked by this news. We still can’t believe it,” Adil El Arbi and Bilal Falla said on Instagram.

“As directors, it is important to show our work to the public, and even if the film is unfinished, we would have liked fans around the world to see and understand it,” the authors added. Belgians.

Most of the post-production work – for example, adding special effects – has already been completed.

In their message, the directors specifically signed “Bad Boys for Life” and paid tribute to the “fantastic cast” on the film’s poster.

“Being huge fans of Batman since our childhood, it was a privilege and an honor to be a part of (the DC Cinematic Universe) even for a short time. Batgirl always,” they concluded.

The studio’s decision stunned Hollywood, where movie industry insiders vowed that such a cancellation was unprecedented for a job that was almost finished — and for so much money.

“Batgirl” seems to be a casualty of the shift in strategy after the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery.

Warner Bros. planned to produce films with the intention of releasing them directly to the HBO Max platform.

But the choice, partly justified by the need to pass theaters amid the Covid-19 pandemic, was not unanimous, and studios seem to have backed off after joining Discovery.

According to industry experts cited by Variety magazine, “Batgirl” would have been considered too expensive for the streaming industry, but not good enough for the big screen.