Actress Ivory Aquino To WBD CEO David Zaslav: “Consider Releasing ‘Batgirl’”; However, That’s Unlikely

In the course of 12 tweets, Batgirl actress Ivory Aquino, who plays Alysia Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s roommate and the first major trans character in the axed HBO Max DC film, expressed her grief to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav over the studio’s cancelation of the film, and pleased with him to “Consider releasing Batgirl“.

However, despite news of rumored screenings on the Warner lot, which some close to the film are baffled by, we hear that a reverse decision to revive Batgirl is unlikely. Warner Bros Discovery has already written the ~$80M production off its books and for the studio to turnaround and sink more millions into it, is unlikely. In speaking to those close to the film about the on-the-lot screenings, some were jarred: They didn’t get an invite, not to mention the film has no VFX, no music track. “What is there to watch?” said our source.

In speaking truth to power, Aqunio tells Zas, “Tonight I finally got to talk with a dear friend here about these intense feelings who shared with me an anecdote which helped provide inspiration for this letter to you. They said the head of a company is like one large cog atop increasingly smaller cogs underneath. One seemingly small movement by this large cog may seem relatively tiny, but for those little cogs at the bottom, they can be spinning ten-fold and the effects can be seismic. I can only endeavor to understand how one feels when tasked with tending to the bottom line like you have. I can’t even begin to imagine what one in your position goes through having such great responsibility to attend to. I do know and ask, with something like Batgirl that’s a product of our hearts and souls, that the little cogs not simply be seen as widgets whose fates are determined by an equation to benefit the bottom line. More than widgets, we are fellow human beings and artists who, when given the chance, can outperform the equation and multiply.”

The actress also writes, “If a month ago, there wasn’t a marketing budget for Batgirl, I’d venture to say that that has been taken care of by the turn of events these past few weeks. We’ve been fortunate to have such amazing supporters since the beginning,from Glasgow where we filmed and from all over the world. Now, more people know about our labor of love and are eager to see the movie. I do hope you get to read this letter. Consider releasing Batgirl. She’s always been an underdog and has nowhere to go but up.”

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah said in a recent interview with French outlet Skript that the studio promptly prevented them from accessing the pic’s footage after unplugging the movie during post-production. Deadline first told you that the duo first learned about the pic’s axing during El Arbi’s wedding in Morocco.

A letter to #DavidZaslav @WBD

Dear Mr. Zaslav,

I just read an article @THR about supposed ‘funeral screenings’ of #Batgirl and the possibility afterwards that the film footage would be destroyed.. if this is the case, as one of many who poured our hearts into the making of this

— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022