Batgirl’s cancelation saw its directors attempting to save the movie’s footage in any way possible before it was scrapped.

Batgirl’s cancelation kicked off a chain reaction of carnage across Warner Bros. Discovery’s slate of upcoming movies and TV shows as CEO David Zaslav reportedly seeks a number of tax write-offs. When Batgirl’s directors discovered what was happening, it appears that they desperately attempted to salvage something from the movie, even if that meant simply recording footage to their phones. With the movie almost complete, it is not surprising that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah wanted to see something of their work retained, but it seems that it was never going to happen.

The Direct recently transcribed a TikTok video in which Fallah spoke about the way the cancelation caused them to try in vain to save something from the movie, but it seems that it all came to nothing. Fallah said:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

“No, we have nothing. Adil called and told me, ‘Go ahead! Shoot everything on your phone!’ I went on the server… Everything was gone. We were [like]… ‘F**ing shit!’… We did not [even] keep [the scenes] with Batman in it.’ The guys from Warner Bros. told us it was not a talent problem on our part or the actress [Leslie Grace], or even the quality of the movie. We were right in the middle of editing. There was a lot of work to get done, so it was not like the movie was finished! Warner Bros. told us the cancellation was a strategic change, a shifting in management so they could save some bucks.”

Related: How the DCEU’s Revamp Shows a New Commitment to Quality

Warner Bros. Discovery Has Mostly Remained Silent Over The Continuing Cancelations

Warner Bros. Pictures

The initial wave of high-profile cancelations from Warner Bros. Discovery raised many questions about why so many completed shows and movies were being scrapped so brutally. While details eventually emerged to sort of explain the reasoning behind it, there has still been only a small amount of information shared by Zaslav that has not really appeased either fans of the dropped franchises or the creators behind them.

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max,” Warner Bros. briefly explained in a statement. “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.”

In the last week, Warner Bros. Discovery has dropped hundreds of shows from HBO Max, and canceled several upcoming animation projects, some of which, like Batgirl, have already been completed and were ready to air. With many directors, producers and writers unable to completely keep their feelings hidden, there could be a backlash from some towards working with the company in the future. With the cull seemingly not over yet, there are plenty of eyes on what Warner Bros. Discovery does next and how it is going to impact their remaining list of franchises and IPs.