Batgirl star still proud of the film despite axing

Batgirl star Leslie Grace said she is still “proud” of the film despite it being axed.

Warner Bros announced on Wednesday the film would not be released despite finishing filming and spending more than £70 million on it.

The actress, who played the title role in the movie, said: “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.

“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!”

The film was originally planned to be made specifically for the streaming service HBO Max but the studio confirmed it will not be released there or in cinemas.

Its budget was reported to have risen due to the pressures of filming during the Covid-19 pandemic and the studio decided it did not have the “spectacle that audiences have come to expect” from superhero films so there was no hope of it making the money back.

Its directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said they were “shocked and saddened” by the decision to axe the movie.

Batman: The Dark Knight - In pictures

They said: “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.”