Batgirl directors felt “sad” while watching The Flash

The directors of Batgirl recently revealed that they were “sad” when they watched The Flash as their DC movie was cancelled.

2023 has been a bit of a mix bag when it comes to blockbuster superhero movies, as some have been extraordinary and some have failed miserably.

The most divisive of the bunch — DC‘s The Flash — had audiences split once it premiered due to its problematic lead actor and a host of production issues including questionable CGI.

However, it wasn’t just regular movie goers who felt some type of way about this film, as the directors of Batgirl recently gave their candid reaction to The Flash.

Batgirl directors wanted to be part of The Flash’s world

During a recent interview with Insider to promote their latest indie film, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah recounted how they felt watching Warner Bros’ latest superhero film.

“We watched it and we were sad,” Arbi said. “We love director Andy Muschietti and his sister Barbara, who produced the movie. But when we watched it, we felt we could have been part of the whole thing.”

Fallah continued: “We didn’t get the chance to show Batgirl to the world and let the audience judge for themselves. Because the audience really is our ultimate boss and should be the deciders of if something is good or bad, or if something should be seen or not.”

Batgirl was in post production when Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav announced that it would be scrapped entirely from the DC calendar.

According to The Wrap, Zaslav’s decision to axe the film was in part due to his “[commitment] to making DC titles big theatrical event films,” and Batgirl apparently didn’t fit that description.

Arbi seemed to confirm this reason as he told Insider: “Our movie was very different than The Flash. That has a big fantasy component, ours was more grounded. More like Tim Burton’s Gotham City.”

However, though Arbi and Fallah expressed that Batgirl’s cancellation was the “biggest disappointment of [their] careers,” they aren’t opposed to working with Warner Bros. again as they have a “feeling of unfinished business.”

Arbi explained: “Our love for DC, Batman, Batgirl, Gotham City, it’s so big that, as fans, we could never say no to another project. If we got another chance to be part of it, we’d do it. We didn’t get our day in court. We still want to make our case.”

To check out more DC content, click here, and you can check out our other superhero hubs below:

The Batman Part II | Joker 2 | Harley Quinn Season 4 | Deadpool 3 | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | The Marvels | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Venom 3 | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse