"Batgirl": Directors are "sad and shocked" after deletion

The directors of 'Batgirl' have expressed their shock at the cancellation of the already completed superhero film by entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery.

"We are saddened and shocked by the news," wrote Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah on the online platform Instagram on Wednesday.

"We still can't believe it."

"As directors, it is of the utmost importance to us that our work is shown to the public," the filmmakers added.

The comic adaptation was "far from finished";

however, they would have liked "fans around the world to have had the opportunity to see and record the final film for themselves."

Leading actress Leslie Grace shared photos and videos from the shoot on Instagram and thanked those involved: "I'm proud of the love and hard work that everyone involved and the tireless crew put into this film over seven months in Scotland." The actress also addressed her fans.

"Thank you for the love and faith and for allowing me to put on the cape," Grace said.

"As Babs put it best - to be 'my own goddamn heroine'!"

»Variety«, »Hollywood Reporter« and other US media reported unanimously that the studio Warner Bros. had rejected the comic film adaptation, which probably cost more than 70 million dollars.

The film industry was surprised by this step, wrote »Variety«.

It almost never happens that a studio simply shelves a film that has already been shot.

"Batgirl" may have been the victim of strategic decisions in the merger of media and entertainment giant WarnerMedia -- which owns Hollywood studio Warner Bros. and HBO Max -- and media company Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year.

Warner actually wanted to produce films directly for HBO Max to make the streaming platform more attractive to new customers.

However, this strategy was controversial.

The industry magazine "Variety" reported, citing insiders, that "Batgirl" may not have been big and dazzling enough for a theatrical release - but at the same time too big to make economic sense for a streaming platform alone.

ime/AFP/dpa