Transgender Batgirl star Ivory Aquino has launched a last-ditch effort to save the $90 million superhero movie from the dustbin of history, urging Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to release the title that the studio deemed “irredeemable” and has permanently shelved.
In an impassioned letter posted to Twitter on Thursday, Ivory Aquino, who is a male-to-female transgender, asked Zaslav to look past the bottom line and think about the “fellow human beings and artists” who worked on the movie. Aquino reportedly plays the character Alysia Yeoh, the transgender best friend of Barbara Jordan, aka Batgirl (Leslie Grace).
Aquino also pushed back against criticism that the movie is “woke,” saying the screenplay simply “reflects the world we live in.”
movie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered.
As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d 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
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
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.
I’ve found myself not being able to talk about this ordeal with anyone. I realized that no one, apart from those involved with the
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
endeavor. Leslie checked in on me the day we found out of the shelving and only had words of comfort and support. I’ve dared not ask since if she’s 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
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
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.
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
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
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
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.
— Ivory Aquino (@MsIvoryAquino) August 25, 2022
Batgirl won’t be released in cinemas or on HBO Max. The $90 million movie was reportedly close to completion when Warner Bros. Discovery decided earlier this month to permanently shelve the title.
The movie featured the DC Comics movie universe’s first transgender character.
As The Hollywood Reporter recently noted, the studio could possibly physically destroy all Batgirl footage in order to prove to the IRS that it won’t realize any revenue from the movie and thus receive a full tax write-down.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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