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One of the stars of Warner Bros. scrapped Batgirl film is begging the studio's parent company not to destroy footage from the film amid rumors of secret "funeral screenings" being held on the Warner Bros. lot in advance of the film's unknown destination.
Ivory Aquino—a trans actor who played the trans character Alysia Yeoh in the film in a first for a DC Comics feature—took to Twitter to plead with controversial Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to choose to archive the film.
Destroying the film's footage is rumored to be a potential outcome for the film rather than archiving it
Aquino posted a lengthy thread about what the film means to her and others who worked on it, seen below.
\u201cA letter to #DavidZaslav @WBD\n\nDear Mr. Zaslav,\n\nI just read an article @THR about supposed \u2018funeral screenings\u2019 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\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cmovie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered. \n\nAs much as I\u2019ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I\u2019d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights. As much as Batgirl has been labeled a woke film, it simply came\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201ctogether that way because of writing that reflects the world we live in. For me, more than anything, it is a father-daughter story which hits close to home as my Dad passed a year ago, shortly before I booked this project, and I was hoping it would resonate with other children\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201caround the world, grown and not-so-grown, who hold their fathers in the highest esteem and who could see Batgirl as a story of that special bond.\n\nI\u2019ve found myself not being able to talk about this ordeal with anyone. I realized that no one, apart from those involved with the\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cfilm, would truly understand what we\u2019re feeling. And talking about it with my castmates, I feel, might be akin to rubbing salt on a still-open wound. My heart goes out to @LeslieGrace and our beloved directors and entire crew & cast who spent months dedicating their all to this\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cendeavor. Leslie checked in on me the day we found out of the shelving and only had words of comfort and support. I\u2019ve dared not ask since if she\u2019s spent nights holding back tears like I have because she has had to be the face of our Batgirl family and has had to put on a brave\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cface as a way of taking care of us the way she gracefully steered our film.\n\nTonight 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\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cis 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.\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cI can only endeavor to understand how one feels when tasked with tending to the bottom line like you have. I can\u2019t 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\u2019s a\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cproduct 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\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cthe bottom line exponentially.\n\nIf a month ago, there wasn\u2019t a marketing budget for Batgirl, I\u2019d venture to say that that has been taken care of by the turn of events these past few weeks. We\u2019ve been fortunate to have such amazing supporters since the beginning,\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201cfrom 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\u2019s always been an underdog and has nowhere to go but up.\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
Batgirl has been at the center of controversy for weeks since Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would be scrapped earlier this month and the company would take a tax write-off on the $90 million production.
The film was still in post-production at the time.
Batgirl is just one of many projects to be canceled in a wave of shake-ups and layoffs since Zaslav's takeover that many believe is an effort to pull back from diverse content and court a more conservative viewership base.
Batgirl certainly fits the bill for the type of projects Zaslav would want to kill if that is indeed the case. The film's diversity and representation have been alternately praised and criticized as "going woke," a charge Aquino dismissed in her thread.
Aquino countered that the film is simply a deeply personal story about a father-daughter relationship that reflects the diverse world in which we live, and a story to which she has a personal connection.
"More than anything, it is a father-daughter story which hits close to home as my Dad passed a year ago, shortly before I booked this project."
"I was hoping it would resonate with other children around the world, grown and not-so-grown, who hold their fathers in the highest esteem and who could see Batgirl as a story of that special bond."She went on to implore Zaslav to release the film, citing the demand for it that has erupted since news of its cancellation broke.Aquino wrote:
"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."
"Now, more people know about our labor of love and are eager to see the movie."
On Twitter, many applauded Aquino for speaking out and lamented the situation Batgirl is facing at the hands of David Zaslav.
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR People behind WBD should be very alarmed of their ceo's recent actions. The board of directors should decide for what's BEST for the company, because right now it's looking very bad.\n\nMy heart goes to all the Batgirl fam who worked tirelessly on the film.\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR If they don't want a cinematic release they should just release it on DVD/Blu-ray cos I want to see it and I know there are many others who want to see it.\n\n#ReleaseBatgirl\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR Decide on a hashtag for the release of the movie and keep pushing for it. Show the demand. And also be prepared to be called toxic for asking a studio what you want to see\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR They need to realise that this film will make them looooooooooots of money if they release it after all of this\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @EscaflowneClown @wbd @THR Plain and simple, Zaslav sees money in the \u201cconservative market\u201d and will play to this. Making bland movies, with less diversity, and probably more senseless action. Why? To join in on the grift trend. There\u2019s money in grifting, apparently. Sorry for your loss.\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR I totally agree with you, #Batgirl needs to be released. I feel so bad for all the cast and crew involved. It is killing the fans knowing we will never get to see our heroine in her own movie but it must hurt so much more for all involved. #ReleaseBatgirl\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR Give Glasgow and all who were part of it a screening,I saw first hand all the hard work by all involved\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @mjarbo @wbd @THR My heart hurts so much for everyone who worked hard & poured their hearts into this film. There is nothing more soul crushing than having your work of art you spent so long creating destroyed before anyone can even experience it. A dream turned into a nightmare. We stand with you\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @sapphicgeek @wbd @THR This is so well stated. I am so sorry that something that means so much to you, the cast, crew and fans is being treat this way. It's truly heartbreaking. Babs and her story have always been incredibly meaningful and I'm deeply disheartened to see the studio toss it aside. \ud83d\udc9c\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
\u201c@MsIvoryAquino @wbd @THR Thank you so much Ivory for being our first trans character in a CBM. It really was something I was so very excited to see. From one doll to another, much love. \ud83e\udd7a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83e\udef6 #ReleaseBatgirl @wbd\u201d— Ivory Aquino (@Ivory Aquino) 1661412792
Other than the rumored "funeral screenings" on the Warner Bros. lot, Batgirl was given one test screening during post-production—the only time the public has been given a glimpse of the film.
Hopefully it's not the last time.