Brendan Fraser Has Revealed His Feelings About Leslie Grace’s Batgirl
Brendan Fraser was supposed to have a villain role in the Batgirl movie and he shared his feelings about its cancellation
When Warner Bros scrapped the Batgirl movie just before post-production, fans didn’t just miss out on seeing Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon and Michael Keaton as Batman. They also missed Brendan Fraser’s performance as the villainous pyromaniac Firefly. While most of his co-stars have been rather vocal about the movie’s cancellation, the 53-year-old has remained rather silent about the project’s demise. Now, in an interview with Popverse, the actor took a moment to gush over the lead star’s great performance.
Speaking to the publication at Emerald City Comic Con, Brendan Fraser said he’s particularly sad fans won’t get to see Leslie Grace as Batgirl. “She’s dynamic. She gave a great performance. She’s a stone-cold professional. You’re going to see more from her. And I’m looking forward to it,” he told fans during the Q&A portion of the event. As expected from an experienced, actor the George of the Jungle star isn’t too heartbroken about the movie being axed. When asked what lessons he’d share with his younger self he said, “It’s going to be all right. Hang in there. It’s possible. You’re doing okay. You have nothing to prove.”
Brendan Fraser’s comments come a few weeks after Warner Bros. Discovery held secret “funeral screenings” of the Leslie Grace starrer. Held on the studio’s lot, the mini event was for everyone who worked on the defunct project. This included the cast, crew, representatives, and executives. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was then sentenced to an undisclosed afterlife with physical and digital footage locked away in a vault. Batgirl made headlines when new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav opted to trash the $90 million DC film in favor of a tax write-off.
Interestingly, Batgirl had received one test screening which was met with positive reviews. It was the only time the general public saw any footage from the film. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a script by Christina Hodson, the story was said to focus on Barbara Gordon – the daughter of James Gordon. J.K. Simmons was set to reprise his role as the famous Police Commissioner. Aside from Brendan Fraser, Leslie Grace, and Michael Keaton, the movie also featured Jacob Scipio and Ivory Aquino, Rebecca Front, Corey Johnson, and Ethan Kai.
Following Batgirl’s cancelation, fans were worried that Brendan Fraser’s return to movies after an almost decade-long hiatus would be tainted. But those fears were put to rest after the actor transformed into a morbidly obese man for The Whale. Dubbed as one of the most unexpected movie comebacks ever at the Venice Film Festival, his performance made him an instant frontrunner for an Academy Award. Billed as a psychological drama, the project is directed by Darren Aronofsky from a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter.
Based on Hunter’s 2012 play of the same name, The Whale follows a 600-pound middle-aged man named Charlie who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The two grew apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge, eating out of pain and guilt. Starring alongside Brendan Fraser is Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins. The movie is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 9th.
