The film industry has been rocked by the shock cancellation of Batgirl, the first big-screen outing for the DC superhero.
Now the lead actress has spoken out after Warner Bros. made the decision to shelve the film, with it no longer heading to cinemas or streaming platforms.
Actress Leslie Grace (In The Heights) reflected on the film’s cancellation – of which she had the titular role – and shared some behind-the-scenes images of herself on set in the Batgirl costume.
‘On the heels of the recent news about our movie Batgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over seven months in Scotland,’ the actress said.
‘I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!’ Batgirl for life!’
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Grace’s sentiments were echoed by the Batgirl directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who released a lengthy statement on Instagram.
‘We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it,’ they told fans. ‘As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity too see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.’
The directing duo went on to say it was a ‘dream to work with such fantastic actors’ with the cast including Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, and Brendan Fraser.
Fans have now flocked to social media to try and petition for the film to still be released in some capacity.