Batgirl has proven to be more trouble than it’s worth for Warner Bros. Last year, the studio canceled the film despite its price tag of $90 million after it performed poorly during test screenings. Now, more than a year later, it appears its troubles are not far behind it – and this time, they’re of the legal variety.
Cristina Stanovici, an extra on the doomed project, is suing the company for compensation after she suffered an injury during filming. Stanovici, who played a bystander, was struck by a motorbike while filming a scene for the movie in Glasgow.
Stanovici suffered such grievous injuries from the event that she believes she “would have been better off dead.” Apart from a head gash and a broken thigh, the collision also damaged her hip, shin, pelvis, and thumb. This has significantly reduced her quality of life and the injuries continue to cause her pain well over a year later. For context, the accident happened in February 2022.
Stanovici sat with The Sun to talk about the event. She told the newspaper that, after the vehicle slammed into her, she screamed for the paramedics. In keeping with safety standards, the set had an ambulance on standby and Stanovici had seen it herself during the shooting.
If there was no ambulance, we highly doubt she would still be alive. Her injuries were so horrific that it took the paramedics almost an hour simply to stabilize and prepare her for transportation to a hospital.
Speaking on her close brush with death, Stanovici revealed that she almost gave up the fight during the five-hour surgery performed on her to save her leg. She also recounted the emotional torture the incident caused.
In her words, “To hear the anesthesiologist say ‘we had our fingers crossed for you’ really sends a chill down your spine. The surgeon told me it was one of the worst cases he has seen in his eight years at the hospital.”
We can only imagine the amount of pain Stanovici felt, given she was confined to the hospital’s intensive care unit for the next three days. It hurt even more that the film she almost lost her life to was never even released to the public. She wouldn’t be alone in that sentiment, though, and Batgirl’s directors recently said something similar.
Before the incident, Stanovici worked as an engineer. She applied as an extra on the film to have fun and take breaks from her job. Unfortunately, her curiosity to see what is involved in the making of a film would bring her in close proximity to death itself.
At the moment, we don’t know much about the lawsuit, beyond the fact that Stanovici hired a legal firm to pursue her case against the studio. We doubt Warner would want a drawn-out legal battle, though, especially since the SAG-AFTRA strike seems close to an end. Regardless of how it goes, you can trust us to bring it to your attention.
