Doom Patrol star Brendan Fraser came frustratingly close to playing another part in the DC cinematic universe in the now-canceled Batgirl movie, and the actor has now offered his take on the rumored screen-testing reactions and reports that the project was 'not releasable.' Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, Fraser revealed that he had heard nothing but good things about Batgirl, and reasoned that you don’t “eat half-baked cake.”
"I have not. I have friends and co-workers and associates who've seen it. They all say really good things about it. But the thing about it was it was screened in a garden variety test screening. It was a director's cut, first cut. It wasn't finished. I don't know about you, but I don't eat half-baked cake. I don't want to see something that's not ready yet. The sad thing is that I don't know if it was judged on merit. It wasn't shown in the best light that it could have been. I mean, yes, once you give a film to the people and the world.”
Fraser would have starred as the main villain of Batgirl, Ted Carson, aka Firefly, a low-level thief who so happens to be a sociopathic pyromaniac with an obsessive love for starting fires, alongside In the Heights star Leslie Grace as the titular superhero. And Fraser could not but heap praise on his co-star's performance.
“Yeah, it's open season to criticize or praise it or whatever you want. But this didn't even really get a fair shake. That's disappointing for obvious reasons, but moreover, because little girls are gonna have to wait longer now before they can see a Batgirl who they can identify that says 'hey she looks just like me too' In Leslie Grace and she was wonderful. Oh gosh, she was good. Really terrific. She's a firecracker. Like dynamite comes in small packages for a reason. She's dynamo."
It is unlikely that we will ever see what was achieved by Fraser and Grace in Batgirl, with DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran calling the decision to cancel the project “very bold and courageous” before declaring that “it would have hurt DC. It would have hurt those people involved.” Sadly, audiences will never be able to judge for themselves.
Brendan Fraser is Now an Academy Award Nominee
Outside of Batgirl, Brendan Fraser’s career has seen a major resurgence, with the actor now an Academy Award nominee thanks to his powerful central performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
Based on the 2012 play by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale sees Fraser starring as Charlie, a 600-pound middle-aged man who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The two have grown apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover, who later died, which leads to Charlie binge-eating out of pain and guilt. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written for the screen by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale stars Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins alongside Brendan Fraser, with Stranger Things star Sadie Sink starring as Ellie, Charlie's daughter.
Fraser is also due to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.