Batgirl Directors Are Down To Work With Warner Bros. Again For A Fan-Favorite Batman Story
It was just in August of this year that directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah found out that their DC Comics' project "Batgirl" would be canceled. Adding insult to injury, they found out at El Arbi's wedding (via Deadline). The feature film — which was to be released solely on the HBO Max streaming service — boasted a star-studded cast, with "In The Heights" star Leslie Grace taking on the title role. J.K. Simmons was set to reprise his role as Commissioner Gordon from the "Synderverse" films, while Michael Keaton would reprise his iconic performance as Batman for the first time since Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" (via Syfy). Brendan Fraser was also tapped to portray the film's villain, Killer Moth.
Months later, the pair are making the rounds with their new film "Rebel," which is currently a part of the Red Sea International Film Festival lineup. At the event, the directors fielded several questions about the canceled "Batgirl" film, with both humor and blunt honesty. Though they told Deadline that they were nearly certain the film would never be seen, they've embraced their status in the bizarre lineage of lost Hollywood films (via The Hollywood Reporter). In fact, the directors are even game to work with Warner Bros. again in the future on another "Batman" project. After Matt Reeves hangs up the cowl, they have the perfect story in mind.
The directors are open to working on a Batman Beyond project
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair stated that they would be interested in adapting the 1990s animated series "Batman Beyond." The Hollywood Reporter also stated that Adil El Arbi once shared a captionless image of the series, which may have been in reference to this then-unspoken desire. The post no longer appears on El Arbi's Instagram, which means the image may have been deleted.
"You know, maybe in the future ... when Batman is not being made by Matt Reeves ... 'Batman Beyond' is really super cool," said El Arbi, going on to describe the series as "badass." He continued, "So who knows? Maybe in the future one day if they ask us to do that, we wouldn't say no. But you can dream, right?"
The series — set in a futuristic version of Gotham City — followed a young teenager named Terry McGinnis (voiced by "Boy Meets World" star Will Friedle), who used a technologically advanced Batman suit to fight crime. The late and legendary "Batman" voice actor Kevin Conroy reprised his "Batman: The Animated Series" role for the show, playing an aging Bruce Wayne too broken to fight crime. The series ran from 1999 to 2001.