(NOTE LANGUAGE) Directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah opened up to the French news outlet Skript about their shock when they learned their film Batgirl was suddenly shelved by Warner Bros.
In French, the pair recalled their first action when they learned the plug had been pulled: To try to see the footage they’d shot already via a remote link with the studio.
Fallah said, “Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead. Shoot everything [you see] on your mobile.'”
However, the studio’s IT department beat them to the punch. “I went on the server … Everything was gone,” Bilall said.
El Arbi said, “We were like, ‘F***ing s***!’ All the scenes with Batman in them!”
Michael Keaton made a long-anticipated return to playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in the project.
The pair also said in spite of calls from fans to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut on their own, they were still in the editing process and there was much work still to do on the film, also starring Leslie Grace and Brendan Fraser.
That said, El Arbi expressed, “We just hope that one day, the movie would be released.”
The directors also reiterated the support they got from fans and other directors, like Edgar Wright and James Gunn, following the sudden announcement soothed them somewhat.
Fallah added: “First, when I heard the news, I was shocked. I did not know how to react. I wanted to break stuff, cry.”
“Even laugh,” El Arbi said with a morbid smile.
El Arbi noted, “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. They told us it was a strategic change. There was new management, and they wanted to save some money.”
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