He also revealed which other directors reached out following the news — and a previously unseen photo of Michael Keaton on set in his Batsuit.
“Batgirl” director Adil El Arbi is feeling all the love from a few big guns in Hollywood after Warner Bros. Discovery unceremoniously axed his DC movie earlier this week.
El Arbi, who helmed the Leslie Grace-starring movie alongside directing partner Bilall Fallah, took to Instagram early Friday morning to share an e-mail he received from Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige following the crushing news and revealed who else has reached out in the days since.
“My friends and I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both,” wrote Feige. “Because of the wonderful news about the wedding (congrats!) and the disappointing news about Batgirl. Very proud of you guys for all the amazing work you do and particularly Ms. Marvel of course! Can’t wait to see what is next for you. Hope to see you soon.”
Both El Arbi and Fallah directed two episodes of “Ms. Marvel” for Disney+ — and Adil has been in Morocco following his recent wedding.
In another post to his Instagram Story, El Arbi added, “thanks for all the messages of support all over the world! Shoutout to directors [Edgar Wright] and [James Gunn]! Your kind words and experience mean a lot and help us through this difficult period. #BatgirlForLife.”
Both Wright and Gunn have some experience with studio disappointment while working on superhero films. Wright, of course, exited “Ant-Man” over creative differences, while Gunn was fired by Marvel over offensive tweets before they eventually re-hired him to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
Adil also shared two additional photos — one of him and a fully-costumed Grace and Michael Keaton on the set of the film, Batsuit and all, and another of an old “Batman Returns” companion book Keaton signed during production.
When “Batgirl” was canned, Warner Bros. Discovery said the decision “reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.” The studio added, “Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance.”
In an earnings call on Thursday, the studio further explained that they will not be releasing DC universe films on their streaming platform and are instead focusing solely on theatrical releases going forward.
For more about their big “reset,” check out the article below.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery Confirms DC Film ‘Reset’ and Major Streaming Strategy Shift
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