Just days before Batgirl was canceled, Brendan Fraser said it was coming out “next year” and teased his performance as the film’s villain, Firefly.
Batgirl, set to star Leslie Grace as the titular caped crusader alongside Michael Keaton’s Batman, has been axed by Warner Bros. The film, directed by Bad Boys for Life’s Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, had already finished shooting and was in the middle of post-production.
Amid the speculation, debate, and outrage over the move – attributed to the film’s quality, a new CEO, and taxes – one of the film’s biggest casualties has dawned on fans: we won’t get to see Brendan Fraser as supervillain arsonist Firefly.
The decision appears to have been mulled over behind closed doors, as Fraser spoke about what to expect from the film a few days before the news emerged.
Brendan Fraser said Batgirl would release “next year” before it was canceled
During an appearance at GalaxyCon in North Carolina, The Mummy star spoke about working with Grace in Batgirl, and his experience filming the movie in Glasgow, Scotland.
“If ever there was a city that was perfectly cast to beat Gotham, it’s Glasgow. This beautiful, gorgeous decay – you know, it’s Batman land.”
Imagine ditching Brendan Fraser as Firefly pic.twitter.com/eDWInISRs3
— D🅰️hz🅰️n (@D4hz4hn) August 2, 2022
He also teased “really big set-pieces” from the directors. “They’re not scared of blowing stuff up, they’re really good at it,” he laughed.
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Fraser then said: “I haven’t seen any of it yet but stay tuned, I think that’ll be like a next year thing, so more about that soon.”
Brendan Fraser shares details about Batgirl villain Firefly
In response to another question, Fraser also revealed a few details about the film’s version of Firefly. In the comics, he’s a pyromaniac who used to do special effects for movies, before turning to crime. However, Batgirl had different plans for the villain.
Another bummer of BATGIRL being shelved: we aren’t gonna get to see Brendan Fraser’s standout performance as the villain 🙁 https://t.co/szy2gobSL4 pic.twitter.com/9UnJYj5EIH
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) August 2, 2022
“Ted Carson is the character’s name. It’s misprinted in the media, I‘ve noticed this,” he said.
“It’s a new character, it’s a new day. He’s quite cross, he’s a veteran whose benefits have been cut, so he wants to burn Gotham to the ground. And luckily, Batman and Batgirl are there to stop him. Or are they?”
Batgirl has been canceled by Warner Bros. with no plans to release it theatrically or on HBO Max.