Warner Bros.’ unprecedented cancellation of Batgirl is currently sending shockwaves through Hollywood. The film was deep into post-production and was expected to be one of the jewels in HBO’s 2022 crown. While the hundreds of people who worked on Batgirl will be rightly miserable, those most keenly affected will be star Leslie Grace and co-directors Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah.
Up until now, the pair had a barnstorming few years. They made Bad Boys for Life a rare pandemic hit and impressed critics with Disney Plus show Ms. Marvel. But Batgirl had clearly been a passion project for them, and this news will hurt.
But what really rubs salt in the wound is where they were when they heard the news. Deadline reports that the pair got confirmation that Batgirl was canceled while in Morocco for El Arbi’s wedding. Ouch, that’s got to put a damper on the celebrations.
This leaves the in-demand duo without any confirmed upcoming work. Up until April, they were going to move onto Netflix’s long-awaited Beverly Hills Cop IV, though have since been replaced by short movie director Mark Molloy.
Here’s hoping that Kevin Feige can find something for the pair at Marvel Studios. They more than proved their skills with the excellent Ms. Marvel. Iman Vellani’s character will appear in The Marvels next summer, so perhaps their newfound availability might mean the second season gets bumped up the production pipeline.
But, for now, the pair have our sympathies, as getting news this bad at your wedding has to sting.
