Brendan Fraser at the 76th BAFTAsPA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images
By
Ryan Northrup
Published 36 minutes ago
Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapBatgirl star Brendan Fraser comments on the movie's unfortunate fate three years after the controversial decision to shelve the project. Fraser was set to play villain Firefly, aka Garfield Lynns, in the DC movie, which would have starred Leslie Grace as the titular heroine.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Fraser makes his feelings known on the Batgirl fiasco, celebrating the hard work that went into the movie and what its shelving took away from audiences. The star laments the treatment of the film as a commodity and takes issue with younger audiences not getting to see a new kind of superhero. Check out his comment below:
A whole movie. I mean, there were four floors of production in Glasgow. I was sneaking into the art department just to geek out. The tragedy of that is that there’s a generation of little girls who don’t have a heroine to look up to and go, “She looks like me.” I mean, Michael Keaton came back as Batman. The Batman! The product — I’m sorry, “content” — is being commodified to the extent that it’s more valuable to burn it down and get the insurance on it than to give it a shot in the marketplace. I mean, with respect, we could blight itself.
Despite having been entirely filmed and in the midst of post-production, Warner Bros. Discovery announced in summer 2022 that it was shelving Batgirl as a tax write-down. The unprecedented decision came as the studio was instituting strict cost-cutting measures across the board. The move was widely criticized by the general public and those within the industry.
In early 2023, more information about Batgirl emerged, with DC Co-chief Peter Safran calling the film "not releasable." The executive said the film, which had an estimated budget of $90 million, "would have hurt DC and those people involved."
Batgirl standing in an alley in canceled Batgirl movie
Grace pushed back on this assertion about the film's quality in an interview with Variety the following month. The star defended the project, saying that it was far from being complete when it was test-screened, but that the cut she saw was strong:
"They were at the beginning of the editing process, and they were cut off because of everything going on at the company. But the film that I got to see — the scenes that were there — was incredible. There was definitely potential for a good film, in my opinion."
Batgirl was poised to bring Michael Keaton back as Batman, with J.K. Simmons also reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon. Ivory Aquino, Amarah Taylor, Jacob Scipio, and Ed Wade, among others, were also set to appear. Keaton ended up returning as Batman in The Flash (2023), a film that disappointed both critically and commercially.
Warner Bros. ended up finding itself back under fire in November 2023 when it decided to shelve Coyote vs. Acme for similar tax reasons. Following backlash, the company ended up backtracking on its decision, allowing director Dave Green to shop the live-action/ animated hybrid film to other distributors. Coyote vs. Acme is now set to be released on August 28, 2026, by Ketchup Entertainment.
Though Green's film will now see the light of day, it doesn't seem like Batgirl ever will, at least not as a finished project. A fight scene from the movie did leak online earlier this year, garnering a fairly positive response. It's possible more leaks will emerge at some point, giving viewers more insight into what the final movie may have looked like.
Batgirl
Like Follow Followed Not Yet Rated Crime Action Adventure Director Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah Writers Christina HodsonCast
-
Leslie Grace
-
Michael Keaton
-
Brendan Fraser
-
J. K. Simmons
Expand
Collapse
-
Movies
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
18 hours ago
R2-D2 vs Darth Vader Actually Happened 8 Years Ago In A Star Wars Story Everyone Forgot
2 hours ago
Lucas Bravo’s Biggest Emily In Paris Complaint Needs To Be Fixed In Season 5
4 hours ago
Cynthia Erivo Opens Up About Wicked's "Special" Legacy And Fan Response To The Movies: "It Really Warms My Heart"
1 hour ago
Wicked: For Good's Glinda & Tin Man Mystery Addressed By Jon M. Chu: "She Sees It In His Eyes"
More from our brands
James Gunn’s Complete DCU Timeline (So Far)
Why Did Henry Cavill Leave The Witcher?
Inside ‘The Brave and the Bold’: Everything We Know About James Gunn’s Batman and Robin Film
Inside ‘The Batman: Part II’: Everything We Know About Robert Pattinson’s Return To Gotham
3 Years Later, Brendan Fraser Sounds Off on the 'Tragedy' of his Scrapped Superhero Movie
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Matt Reeves' The Batman
Blue Beetle is on Netflix, embracing its true destiny as a (good) streaming superhero movie
Trending Now
The Punisher’s Solo MCU Series Just Got Way More Important
The 10 Best Partner Pairings In The MCU, Ranked
The True Inspiration for Beast Gohan Is Way Weirder Than Dragon Ball Fans Guessed
