Batgirl director reveals Marvel boss reached out to him after film was axed by Warner Bros

Batgirl director Adil El Arbi revealed that Marvel president Kevin Feige reached out to him to offer support after the DC superhero movie was axed by Warner Bros.

Posting on social media, El Arbi shared several messages of support that he had received, including ones from Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright and Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn.

Earlier this month, the shock announcement came that Warner Bros was shelving the multi-million dollar movie starring Leslie Grace, five months before its scheduled release.

Filming took place in January 2022 in Glasgow, and saw parts of the city transformed into Gotham.

El Arbi and his co-director Bilall Fallah said they were “shocked and saddened” at the news, having found it out while at a wedding together.

“Thanks for all the messages of support all over the world,” El Arbi wrote on his Instagram story.

“Shoutout to directors @edgarwright & @jamesgunn… your kind words and experience mean a lot and help us through this difficult period.”

In another post he shared a screenshot of an email from Feige, which read: “My friends I had to reach out and let you know we are all thinking about you both.

“Because of the wonderful news about the wedding (congrats!) and the disappointing news about Batgirl.

“Very proud of you guys for all the amazing work you do and particularly Ms. Marvel of course!

“Can’t wait to see what is next for you. Hope to see you soon.”

Batgirl was due to feature Hollywood stars Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, JK Simmons and Leslie Grace, and reportedly cost an estimated 70 million dollars (£57.6m) to make.

The film was scheduled for release in late 2022 but was reportedly dropped after poor test screenings.

It comes as Warner Bros bosses said they are considering a restructure of the DC superhero franchise and the implementation of a 10-year plan, to emulate the success of their Marvel competitors.

Chief executive David Zaslav said the company would focus on the “quality” of upcoming blockbusters in order to “protect the DC brand”.