Ivory Aquino, who plays Alysia Yeoh in the recently canceled Batgirl, wrote a letter to Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav, asking him to save the film.Aquino tweeted to Zaslav that she read about "funeral screenings" of the film, and the possibility that the "film footage would be destroyed." She then asked him to reconsider the destruction of the film, explaining, "As much as I've tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I'd find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights."
According to inside sources, Warner Bros. has organized the so-called "funeral screenings" at the WB lot so that people who participated in Batgirl could get a chance to see their work. After this, the footage will likely be sealed, and perhaps never seen again. Other reports indicate the footage could even be destroyed.
Batgirl was canceled in early August despite having already been filmed. One source said this was due to the "irredeemable" quality of the film. At the same time, studio insiders allegedly claimed the decision was not based on the film's quality but instead on Warner Bros.'s intentions for the full slate of DC films. According to the insiders, Warner Bros. decided it wanted to make all its DC movies on a "blockbuster scale," and Batgirl would not fit its desired mold.
Since then, many people have protested the cancelation, including the film's director, Bilal Fallah. Fallah explained that he attempted to save the footage. "No, we have nothing [from the movie]," he explained. "[Co-director] Adil [El Arbi] called and told me, 'Go ahead! Shoot everything on your phone!' I went to the server... Everything was gone. We were [like]... 'Fucking shit!'... We did not [even] keep [the scenes] with Batman in [them]."
Aquino and Fallah aren't the only people who have spoken out about their disappointment regarding the film's cancelation. Texas representative Joaquin Castro spoke out on the matter, pointing out how Warner Bros.'s apparent lack of interest in shopping the film around and its cancellation of Batgirl for reported tax write-off purposes throws away a film featuring diverse representation with a Latina actress.
An anonymous member of the Batgirl cast also commented on the matter in a more forward way. "The multiple streaming avenues and their vague guarantees appear anything but secure," said the actor. "I am very offended by what happened and feel terrible for the directors and Leslie Grace, who were all wonderful to work with as well as all of the technicians." They then said that "None of these things matter to an imbecile like [Zaslav]. His cowardice is breathtaking. I am glad I got to participate, and I wish the best for all those involved -- except the suits at Warner Brothers."
Source: Twitter