batgirl Aug. 5, 2022

Batgirl Director Adil El Arbi Shares Lone Image of Michael Keaton’s Batman

Portrait of Jason P. Frank

By Jason P. Frank, a Vulture writer covering comedy, theater, and music

Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

There are many reasons to mourn the death of Batgirl: Leslie Grace was supposed to have her star turn as Barbara Gordon, and it signals a dangerous trend exemplified by the ever-disappearing library of HBO Max. But worst of all is that we were supposed to have the return of Keaton Batman, who first donned the suit in 1989. The film was set to star Grace and Michael Keaton as Batgirl and Batman, respectively, meaning there’s whole movie with Keaton Keaton-ing all over the place that Warner Bros. is keeping from us. Tragic. One of the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi, shared a photo on his Insta story of the two Batpeople behind the scenes, which seems like the most we’ll get at the moment. This is so sad. Alexa, play Prince’s “Batdance.”

Arbi had previously posted a joint statement with his co-director, Bilall Fallah, saying that he was “shocked and saddened” by the news that the film would be canceled ahead of release. Luckily, some seasoned directors came to the emotional rescue. In his Instagram story, Arbi thanks Edgar Wright and James Gunn for reaching out. He even shared an email from the president of Marvel Studios (DC’s bitter rival), Kevin Feige. “My friends I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both,” said Feige. It’s not necessarily a shock, as Adil and Balall had worked two episodes of Marvel’s Ms. Marvel, but reading Feige say “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,” one has to imagine that the Warner Bros. Discovery publicists are weeping into their tax returns.

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