It’s been a rollercoaster of a week for Moroccan-Belgian director Adil El-Arbi. Shortly after the 34-year-old tied the knot with his long-time partner Loubna Khalkhali in Tangiers, the Edegem-born creative received the unfortunate news that, following an unexpected studio decision, Warner Bros’ upcoming Batgirl, co-directed by El-Arbi and fellow Moroccan filmmaker Billal Fallah, will not see the light of day.
Shot almost entirely in Glasgow on a $109 million budget, the movie adaptation of the famed DC comic generated a lot of excitement and commotion ahead of its release. With a star-studded lineup featuring the likes of American singer Leslie Grace as lead character, Michael Keaton as Batman, Brendan Fraser as Firefly, and J.K. Simmons as James Gordon, Batgirl was hailed as one this summer’s blockbusters to look forward to. This Tuesday though, it was announced that the feature will no longer make its way to big screens, nor on streaming services, although reports claimed that most of the shooting and post-production were almost done.
El-Arbi and Fallah took to their official Instagram accounts to express their disappointment following the news with their fans.
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Via a lengthy statement, El-Arabi and Fallah both declared feeling “saddened and shocked” by the cancelation of the movie’s release, adding that they “wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves.”
The announcement sent seismic waves across social media with hundreds of film aficionados making their disappointment heard online. And of course, because it’s the internet, the fan reactions on Twitter were naturally clever and hilarious.
We are living in a society where Morbius was in theaters not once, but TWICE, and Batgirl can’t even get an HBO Max debut.
— Kasey (@RawbertBeef) August 3, 2022
If they really plan on not releasing Batgirl…
Somebody is going to leak it, and I will anxiously anticipate that leak.
I was very excited. pic.twitter.com/pgwuHBhwUE— HiTop Alex (@HiTopFilms) August 2, 2022
“Batgirl would’ve flopped”
MARVEL WAS ABLE TO MAKE A PROFITABLE *ANT-MAN* MOVIE IN A CAVE… WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS pic.twitter.com/0CVZ2Rgu1w— Evan Von Doom (@EvanReadsComics) August 3, 2022
Marvel Studios: Buckle up because we’re releasing SEVENTY-THREE MOVIES next year!
Sony: Go see Morbius. Go see Morbius again.
WB: Batgirl’s cancelled btw.
— Kasey (@RawbertBeef) August 3, 2022
