Fil-Am actress Ivory Aquino begs Warner Bros. to release shelved 'Batgirl'

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American trans actress Ivory Aquino, who was set to appear in the now-shelved "Batgirl" movie, has written a plea to Warner Bros. that the studio push through with releasing the movie.

Earlier this month Warner Bros. decided to scrap "Batgirl" despite being nearly finished and used up a budget of $90 million (P5 billion), which were written as tax write-offs, amid management decisions to focus on theatrical releases rather than streaming.

Ivory, who is related to the prominent Aquino family but is now based in the United States, took to Twitter to write a plea-thread directed at Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslov that the studio change their minds.

"As much as Batgirl has been labeled a woke film, it simply came together that way because of writing that reflects the world we live in," Ivory wrote, referencing the grounds "Batgirl" would have broken had it pushed through.

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

"In The Heights" star Leslie Grace was set to play the titular character, the first time a DC Comics movie would have a Black Latina lead, while Ivory would have played Barbara Gordon's best frend and be DC's first major trans character.

RELATED: Pinay transgender Ivory Aquino called ‘Hollywood’s next big thing’

"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," Ivory continued. "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."

Ivory was actually prompted by an article she read that said remaining footage would be potentially destroyed after final screening for executives and crew members.

The actress also mentioned in her thread the many cast and crew who worked on "Batgirl," speaking on their behalf that giving their a movie a chance would show their hardwork was not wasted.

"More people know about our labor of love and are eager to see the movie," Ivory ended her letter. "Consider releasing Batgirl. She’s always been an underdog and has nowhere to go but up."

Working on the "Batgirl" film were "Bad Boys For Life" directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly, J.K. Simmons returning as Police Commissioner James Gordon, and a reappearance of Michael Keaton's version of Batman.

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