Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were as blindsided by the news of Batgirl’s cancellation as the rest of us. Regardless, the filmmakers have undoubtedly taken comfort in seeing the vast majority of fans and industry luminaries reach out in solidarity over the past few days. Now, we can officially count Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige as one of the pair’s top supporters.
El Arbi and Fallah previously collaborated with Feige when they helmed the first and last episodes of Ms. Marvel. And they still have a solid relationship with their former boss. Via their Instagram stories, the directors posted a screenshot of the email that Feige sent after Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped Batgirl’s HBO Max release earlier this week. You can read what he had to say below:
“My friends, I had to reach and let you know we are all thinking about you both,” wrote Feige. “Because of the wonderful news about [El Arbi’s] 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.”
RELATED: Batgirl Directors Adil & Bilall Address the Film’s Cancellation
Feige isn’t the only big name who sent well wishes to the duo. El Arbi and Fallah also thanked Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World helmer Edgar Wright for their own words of support. Gunn and Wright have both had their own unfortunate brushes with studio politics over the years. Gunn was famously fired as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after some of his old tweets resurfaced in 2018, only to be reinstated a year later. Meanwhile, Wright was Marvel’s original choice to direct the first Ant-Man movie and co-write the script with frequent collaborator Joe Cornish. But after being attached to the project for eight years, Wright left the film in 2014 over creative differences.
Sadly, anyone hoping for Warner Bros. to reverse its Batgirl decision shouldn’t hold their breath. While addressing the news during yesterday’s earnings call (via Variety), CEO David Zaslav appeared to dig his heels in, claiming, “We’re not going to launch a movie to make a quarter and we’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”
Are you happy to see that Feige and others reached out to El Arbi and Fallah? Let us know in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Recommended Reading: Batgirl and the Birds Of Prey Vol. 1
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