The Batgirl cancellation left directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah feeling “saddened and shocked.” In a time when they were feeling dispirited, they received several messages of support from their colleagues in the industry. A few of them, however, stood out for the directing duo, and El Arbi decided to give these individuals a special shout-out on his official Instagram account. One of them happens to be from Marvel boss Kevin Feige.
Following the Batgirl movie’s cancellation, messages of support from DC fans started to pour in after El Arbi shared an official statement from the directors on Instagram. Many urged Warner Bros. Discovery to reconsider its decision and reinstate the project, considering it had already completed filming. However, the conglomerate has decided to end the era of direct-to-streaming films, making Batgirl the first candidate to face the axing. After all the time, hard work and effort put into filming the project, the cast and crew is evidently upset, and any support is appreciated at this point.
Among their supporters is the president of Marvel Studios. El Arbi shared a screenshot of an email the directing duo received from Feige on his Instagram stories. “My friends, I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both,” he wrote. He congratulated El Arbi for his recent nuptials, and offered words of support for the “disappointing news about Batgirl.” He continued to remind the duo that he is “very proud” of them for “the amazing work” they do, particularly as part of Ms. Marvel. While Batgirl will not be released, Feige is excited to see whatever project the directors work on next.
Fallah and El Arbi are no strangers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as before starting work on DC’s Batgirl, they worked on Marvel’s Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel. The two have worked alongside Feige in the past, and it means a lot to them to have their former colleague show his support. Seeing Feige’s email to the director, Marvel fans are almost celebrating, seeing as the person in charge of the MCU is reaching out to acknowledge the end of a DC project.
As part of his post of gratitude for the messages of support that they have received, El Arbi also thanked director James Gunn and filmmaker Edgar Wright. Gunn is another individual who has ventured between the MCU and the DC Universe. He is responsible for bringing the Guardians of the Galaxy to life, but then also was at the helm of DC’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Wright, on the other hand, began work on Ant-Man at Marvel, before exiting the project due to creative differences.