Hollywood

1127 days ago

708 views

Marvel President Lends Support To 'Batgirl' Directors After DC Movie Shelved

Los Angeles, August 6 - Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige has lent his support to the Batgirl directors Billal Fallah and Adil Al Arbi following the news of Warner Bros. shelving the release of the DC movie. ## Billal and Adil have directed one of the episodes of Marvel/Disney+ recent series, Ms. Marvel, and share a good rapport with Feige. Al Arbi posted on his Instagram Story a screenshot of an email that he recently received from the Feige.## In the message, Feige wrote, "My friends I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both. Because of the wonderful news about the 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".## Feige is not the only big Hollywood name who showed support to the filmmakers, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Baby Driver helmer Edgar Wright also reach out to the directors and expressed disappointment on the shocking decision by Warner studio. ## Batgirl stars Leslie Grace in the title role along with Michael Keaton as Batman, among others. The film was supposed to release on the streaming platform HBO Max later this year but now stands canceled. Warner Bros., however, defended its bold move and shared a statement on the same. ## "The decision to not release 'Batgirl' reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max", it said.## The statement continued to read, "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".## Stay tuned...

Hollywood

1129 days ago

1341 views

'Batgirl' Star Leslie Grace And Directors Speak On The Film Being Canceled By Warner Bros.

Los Angeles, August 4 - Actress Leslie Grace has opened up on the news that Warner Bros. is shelving DC Superhero movie Batgirl, in which Grace plays Barbara Gordon, aka the titular hero.## The actress took to Instagram and shared her thoughts on the latest development that shocked the Hollywood industry. The actress, who appeared in Warner Bros.' 2021 film "In the Heights", also shared BTS pics and videos from the sets of "Batgirl", which was supposed to release on HBO Max later this year. ## "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 7 months in Scotland", wrote Grace. "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!"## Meanwhile, the directors of the film Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah also reacted on the same and said that they are shocked and saddened 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. Maybe one day they will insha'Allah", they said in a statement posted to Instagram.## Yesterday (August 3), Warner Bros. said in a statement that they are canceling the release of "Batgirl" and "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt". "Batgirl", which cost an estimated $90 million, has already completed filming and was in post-production. It is believed that Warner Bros.' new leadership has understood the importance of theatrical over streaming titles and is looking to boost its big event DC Superhero theatrical titles. ## Adil and Bilall, however, applauded the cast and crew of the film for doing a tremendous job and working hard to bring the film to life, "especially the great Leslie Grace, who portrayed Batgirl with so much passion, dedication, and humanity".## "In any case, as huge fans of Batman since we were little kids, it was a privilege and an honor to have been a part of the DCEU, even if it was for a brief moment. Batgirl For Life", they added.## View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adil El Arbi (@adilelarbi) ## Stay tuned...

Hollywood

1131 days ago

841 views

Warner Bros. Will Not Release DC Superhero Movie 'Batgirl'

Los Angeles, August 3 - In a major development, Warner Bros. Studio has decided to scrap the release of its upcoming film Batgirl, budgeted $80 million -$90 million. The DC superhero film, which has already completed filming, was supposed to arrive on the studio's streaming platform HBO Max later this year. ## According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is looking to boost its big event theatrical titles and "Batgirl" doesn't fall in that category. The studio has also canceled the release of the animated feature Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, which had a budget in the $40 million range.## The decision of scrapping the release of the two aforementioned films comes after a change in leadership at Warners, with newly appointed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav prioritizing cost-cutting measures and refocusing Warners on creating theatrical films rather than projects for streaming, as had been a priority for former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, per THR.## Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, "Batgirl" stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl — the first Latina to play the role, along with Michael Keaton, back as Batman, J.K. Simmons as Barbara's father, Commissioner James Gordon, and Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly.## During the covid-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. was the first to send its movies day-and-date on HBO Max and in theaters in a one-year experiment, a decision, which was largely criticized by some of the biggest Hollywood filmmakers. Under the new leadership at the company, will be looking to emphasize the importance of theatrical over streaming in terms of original movies. ## Stay tuned...

Hollywood

1320 days ago

755 views

HBO Max's 'Batgirl' Cast Ivory Aquino As First Trans Character In DC Comics' Film

Los Angeles, January 25 - The upcoming HBO Max feature film "Batgirl", based on DC Comics has officially cast Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh. Both Aquino and Yeoh are transgender, marking the first time a live-action DC Comics feature film will feature an openly trans character.## Ivory Aquino as Alysia Yeoh will play the best friend of the titular superhero, a.k.a. Barbara Gordon played by Leslie Grace in this original HBO Max film. Yeoh first appeared in a 2011 issue of "Batgirl" written by Gail Simone and penciled by Ardian Syaf.## According to Variety, news of Aquino's casting first leaked online in mid-January after Grace posted a photo seemingly from the set of the film to her Instagram story, tagging Aquino and captioning the shot (of two women crossing the street) with "Barbara and Alysia".## There have been several strides in broadening LGBTQ+ representation in superhero adaptations over the past few years. The latest such example was seen in Marvel Studios' feature film "Eternals", which included the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first same-sex couple, played by Brian Tyree Henry and Haaz Sleiman.## Meanwhile, the "Batgirl" is being directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. It also stars J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton (reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, which he will first do in "The Flash" in late 2022), and Jacob Scipio. "Batgirl" is currently slated for a late 2022 release on HBO Max.## Stay tuned...

Hollywood

1354 days ago

942 views

Michael Keaton To Return As Batman HBO Max Series 'Batgirl' Starring Leslie Grace

Los Angeles, December 23 - Michael Keaton was recently confirmed to return as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman in the upcoming "The Flash" movie starring Ezra Miller in the title role. Now, according to Variety, the actor will also be reprising his iconic role in "Batgirl", the upcoming HBO Max superhero film. ## Keaten will be making his return as Caped Crusader alongside Leslie Grace, who's playing the title role in the first "Batgirl" film. Though the plot details about "Batgirl" have been kept under wraps for now, the film centers on the heroine whose real identity is Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon.## J.K. Simmons is returning to portray Jim Gordon after first playing the character in Zack Snyder's "Justice League". Brendan Fraser is playing the villainous Firefly, a sociopath with a passion for pyrotechnics. "Batgirl" is currently in production in London under the direction of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah ("Bad Boys for Life"). It will be debuting on HBO Max in 2022. ## Meanwhile, Keaton first played Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989). He then reprised his role in Burton's "Batman Returns" (1992). And now, after nearly 30 years, he is making his comeback as Batman in two films, both due on the 2022 release. Interestingly, "The Flash" will also feature Ben Affleck, who played Batman in four DC films from 2016 to 2021.## Over the years, Keaton has been expressing his wish to revisit his iconic role. During Variety's Award Circuit podcast, Keaton said that he wouldn't necessarily do it just because he was curious. The script has to be good and there has to be a reason for him to do that. And it seems, he finally found that reason. ## Stay tuned...