Warner Bros is holding secret screenings of its canned $90m superhero movie Batgirl

Cast and crew members who worked on Batgirl, the $90 million movie recently axed by Warner Bros Discovery, are viewing the film in secret ‘funeral screenings’ before the studio can possibly destroy the the copies for a tax write-off.

The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was scrapped after test audiences panned the new superhero flick and forced Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav to cancel it as he seeks to save the company $3 billion. 

The two filmmakers say they do not currently have access to any footage, and the studio may either lock the footage away permanently or even destroy the footage to prove to the IRS they will not profit from it in the future, which would ensure their tax write-down.

Zaslav has been pushing back on kitting out HBO’s streaming service with films like Batgirl, and is instead prioritizing films that will hit theaters, in the hopes of generating greater profits. 

Warner Bros Discovery CEO axed the movie in August amid poor audience reception, as the studio aims to move toward theatrical releases over streaming releases

Cast and crew members along with representatives have reportedly been given the green light to view ‘funeral screenings’ of their film before it is potentially destroyed

He also scrapped ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt,’ another movie that was near completion. 

Another HBO production that will end up in post-production limbo is the pilot episode of ‘Bloodmoon,’ a Game of Thrones spinoff that even author George R.R. Martin has not seen. 

El Arbi and Fallah, who also directed Bad Boys For Life and Disney+’s Ms Marvel, wrote in a statement on Instagram: ‘We are saddened and shocked by the news. We still can’t believe it.

‘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 to see and embrace the final film themselves.

The directors continued: ‘Our amazing cast and crew did a tremendous job and worked so hard to bring Batgirl to life. We are forever grateful to have been part of that team. 

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the two directors of axed Batgirl, have spoken out after Warner Bros dropped the movie

The two directors wrote the statement to fans on social media, ending with the slogan ‘Batgirl For Life’

‘It was a dream to work with such fantastic actors like Michael Keaton, JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Jacob Scipio, Corey Johnson, Rebecca Front, and especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedications and humanity. 

Batgirl was first given the greenlight in 2021 as part of a company-wide effort to create feature films specifically for HBO Max.

It would have featured Latina actress Leslie Grace in the titular role as she battled Brendan Fraser’s Firefly who turned to a life of crime after he is fired from his job, loses his health insurance and could no longer care for his sick wife.

Warner Bros spokesperson said on Tuesday: ‘The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.

‘Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.’

Zaslav is now said to be looking for a head to run the failing DC Extended Universe, as executives debate canning an upcoming The Flash film amid allegations of abuse and misconduct by star Ezra Miller.

The film was expected to reboot the DC Extended Universe after a series of failing films like Batman v Superman and The Suicide Squad.