Now we have a new leak, and it’s one of the most compelling yet. The clip originally comes from the Instagram account of stunt person Emely Cartagena (then tweeted by actor Ivory Aquino), who doubled for Batgirl star Leslie Grace during action sequences. It shows Cartagena as Batgirl leaping from a ledge, doing a wobbly flip, and landing on a bright red Christmas tree, where she brings the whole thing down in front of fleeing partygoers. As impressive as the stunt looks, it’s even better when viewed through the camera of directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Working with cinematographer John Mathieson, the duo pulls out as Cartagena completes the stunt, moving from a frame shot of partygoers looking up at Batgirl to the viewer looking down at her from above. To be sure, the complexity of the leaked footage confirms the directors’ earlier insistence that the movie, while near completion, was not quite ready for public viewing. El Arbi and Fallah previously indicated that they would need a budget near the one granted to Zack Snyder to make the film match their intentions. However, it also undercuts the biggest justification for canceling Batgirl: that it was not cinematic enough to justify its existence. Zaslav and others have insisted that the movie, designed to be streamed on HBO Max, looked ridiculous in test screenings and would diminish the brand. This clip — and El Arbi and Fallah’s work on Bad Boys for Live and Ms. Marvel — certainly suggests otherwise. At this point, there’s no reason to believe that the leaks and fan trailers will force WB’s hand to release the movie. Thus far, public outcry has only successfully led to the release of the Snyder Cut, something that WB execs allegedly regret. And for better or worse, Zaslav seems determined to move beyond the DCEU from which Batgirl sprung, hoping to find a Kevin Feige-like figure to usher in a proper shared universe. Unless something changes, fans will have to settle for these glimpses and hope that Batgirl — along with the people who brought her to life — will get a second chance.
