Hollywood has never lacked in unfinished scripts and films that failed to go beyond the initial stages of development. The fact that fully completed projects are shelved after being shot, scored, edited, and ready is one of the most painful phenomena in the industry. And there is no story that embodies that heartbreak more than ‘Batgirl’, the canceled DC movie that features Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser, and returning Michael Keaton.
Brendan Fraser Opens Up About The Human Cost Of ‘Batgirl’ Movie’s Collapse
Three years after its scandalous exit from the release list of Warner Bros., Brendan Fraser is finally ready to talk about what it meant to lose Batgirl, not only to him, but to the audience that never got to watch a new female heroine shine. For Fraser, who portrayed Firefly in ‘Batgirl’, the cancellation wasn’t just a business choice; it was a loss that still stings. “A whole movie,” he emphasized. “Four floors of production in Glasgow. I was sneaking into the art department just to geek out.”
Related: Kevin Smith Lashes Out At Warner Bros. For Shelving ‘Batgirl’ But Releasing ‘The Flash’
It was not just another job to him. It was a world made with skill, with passion, and a team. Fraser’s biggest heartbreak wasn’t that his own work went unseen, but the emotional opportunity that evaporated with it. “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.’” This is what makes the cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ hurt. The film was a chance to welcome a new era of Gotham storytelling.
Fraser didn’t mince words when explaining what the shelving meant in a larger sense: “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.” In 2022, ‘Batgirl’ was scrapped as a tax write-off, and the news went viral. The thought that art, talent, and years of labor could just be wiped out shocked both the creators and the audience. Even the leadership of DC Studios was divided.
Co-chief Peter Safran described the movie as not releasable, saying it would have damaged the brand. But star Leslie Grace, who saw early cuts, pushed back. “The film that I got to see… was incredible. There was definitely potential for a good film,” he revealed on the HappySad Podcast. The remarks by Fraser rekindle that argument. Did Batgirl turn out to be unreleasable, or was it a victim of corporate restructuring?
Brendan Fraser Also Almost Played Superman
In a surprising second revelation, Fraser also revealed that he had once auditioned to play Superman himself in a reboot that was canceled by J.J. Abrams and Brett Ratner. To most actors, the opportunity to play the Man of Steel would be a dream. However, for Fraser, it was complicated. He recalled that he screen-tested the part. But even at that time, he wondered whether he would want to live under such a huge spotlight.
In case you missed it: Why Did Warner Bros. Cancel The ‘Batgirl’ Movie?
“If I do get this job, then… I think Superman’s gonna be chipped on my gravestone.” It wasn’t the character he feared, but about identity. Would being Superman overshadow everything else he could ever do? He admitted he wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of lifelong association. “You are that for the rest of your days, your career… and I don’t know if I was ready to take that on then.”
