The directors of “Batgirl” say their shelved movie would need some heroics to still be released one day.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah don’t have any of the footage they shot for the superhero film starring Leslie Grace, they said in a new interview with the YouTube channel SKRIPT.
“Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead! Shoot everything on your mobile!’ I went on the server ... everything was gone,” Fallah said, speaking in French.
The movie was originally expected to come out on HBO Max, but its cancellation was revealed earlier this month, with The Hollywood Reporter saying the decision was made for tax write-down purposes. The film reportedly cost $90 million to make.
The filmmakers said they still had a considerable amount of work to do to finish the film.
“It can not be released in its current state,” El Arbi told SKRIPT, speaking in French. “There is no VFX (visual effects). There’s nothing. We still had scenes to shoot.”
The filmmakers, who previously directed “Bad Boys for Life” and episodes of the “Ms. Marvel” superhero series, say they were told the “Batgirl” cancellation was part of a strategic change.
“The guys from (Warner Bros.) told us it was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,” El Arbi said.
The cancellation was also addressed this month by Grace, who previously starred in the movie musical “In the Heights.”
“I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland,” Grace wrote on Instagram.
“I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! 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!’”
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