Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The DC world was quite upset when the anticipated Batgirl film was canceled out of nowhere. The film directors have finally spoken out about the cancelation, offering new details about how their film stacked up to previous entries, even claiming it would have been closer to the Michael Keaton Batman.
Related: DC Is Bringing Back the Michael Keaton ‘Batman’
The unfortunate aspect that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah had to deal with, apart from their film being canceled after completion, is they were supposed to be the duo responsible for bringing back Michael Keaton. Keaton was meant to appear as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batgirl, along with the glorious return of Brendan Fraser as Firefly.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav called the shots when the company was involved in major “cost-cutting” moves. One of those moves was getting rid of a film for which every DC fan was excited. What makes matters worse is that the film could have been far more successful than Shazam 2 and The Flash, though we will never know if that is true.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah revealed a bit more about the film’s cancelation for the first time in months and revealed how their film was more “grounded” and similar to one of the greatest Batman films ever made.
‘Batgirl’ Compared to Michael Keaton ‘Batman’
While speaking to Insider, Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah stated they were sad after watching The Flash. While they did not precisely say it was because of how that film performed, it was mostly because they were supposed to be part of the grand plan to bring back Michael Keaton. According to Adil:
“We watched it and we were sad. We love director Andy Muschietti and his sister Barbara, who produced the movie. But when we watched it, we felt we could have been part of the whole thing. We didn’t get the chance to show ‘Batgirl’ to the world and let the audience judge for themselves. Because the audience really is our ultimate boss and should be the deciders of if something is good or bad, or if something should be seen or not.”
Adil has a massive point: Fans will always judge how a film performs. Everyone was not a fan of The Flash, as it bombed horrifically at the box office. Not only did it become the biggest bomb for Warner Bros., but it also became the biggest bomb in the superhero genre.
We imagine Adil and Bilall having to watch the film and realizing what they made could have completely changed things around for DC, which might have been extra painful. Even more upsetting is how their film compares to The Flash. While fans certainly don’t mind a more fantastical superhero approach, when it comes to Batman, grounded is the proverbial bread and butter of the franchise. Adil added:
“Our movie was very different than ‘The Flash.’ That has a big fantasy component, ours was more grounded. More like Tim Burton’s Gotham City.”
This quote should be even more upsetting, as we might have all had a chance to see Michael Keaton return to the world of Batman, where he was made famous. Many fans consider the 1989 Batman and Batman Returns (1992) the pinnacle of the Dark Knight films. Keaton was brought back for a reason, and his return was sadly marred by having to appear in The Flash.
It would have been amazing to see Keaton appear in a Gotham City more closely related to Tim Burton’s work, especially if that work involved Brendan Fraser. Fraser had also been on a massive acting hiatus but was slowly returning to the limelight. Batgirl would have been his triumphant return, and he was set to take on the role of Firefly.
Sadly, Fraser’s comeback would have to wait until The Whale. Not only did Fraser come back in stunning fashion, but he landed his first Academy Award for Best Actor in that film. Warner Bros. could have had Keaton and Fraser together, which might have been one of the best Batman and villain combos the world has ever seen.
Burton’s Batman has been appreciated for decades because it’s a darker take on DC’s Golden Boy. He was the first to truly make a grounded film, which helped Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves in their pursuits to change how Batman is viewed.
According to Bilal, Batgirl was the “biggest disappointment of our careers,” and “As a fanboy, just to be in the presence of Keaton as Batman, that’s just a privilege and an honor. But it’s a bittersweet feeling.”
Bilal and Adil still believe they will have their chance to direct another Batman film, and “If we got another chance to be part of it, we’d do it. We didn’t get our day in court. We still want to make our case.”
Related: Batgirl Star Hints the Canceled Movie Could Be Released “One Day”
We hope to see the canceled Batgirl film, which star Leslie Grace still believes will happen as well. We especially want to see it if it’s the spiritual sequel to Keaton’s Batman films.
What do you think about Batgirl being compared to the Michael Keaton Batman? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!