Batgirl was cancelled by Warner Bros. Discovery in the midst of post-production, shocking Hollywood insiders and comic book fans alike. The movie would have featured Barbara Gordon squaring off with Brendan Fraser's villainous Firefly, a role that could have been something very different and exciting for the Doom Patrol star in the DC Extended Universe.
Fraser recently appeared at the Emerald City Comic Con, and The PopVerse asked for his reaction to the news. The actor chose his words carefully, choosing to praise Leslie Grace's performance as Batgirl.
"Leslie Grace is her namesake. She’s dynamic," Fraser said of the In the Heights star. "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."
Fraser was surprisingly non-plussed about the decision to scrap Batgirl, though he's been in Hollywood long enough to know that this sort of thing can and does happen. Asked what lessons he'd actually share with his younger self, he responded, "It’s going to be all right. Hang in there. It’s possible. You’re doing okay. You have nothing to prove."
That sounds a lot like what he's probably told Grace as well. Batgirl's cancellation comes at a time when her career is really starting to take off, but being the lead in a superhero movie deemed not good enough to release (by a studio that's released the likes of Suicide Squad and Justice League) won't do her any favours.
It's become clear that there's no saving Batgirl, and any sort of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut-style campaign isn't going to work with the new regime at Warner Bros.
There have been rumblings that Grace may have been offered the chance to play Batgirl elsewhere in the DCEU, though whether she will consider accepting is another matter. A lot of actors and filmmakers are likely to have serious reservations about working with the studio moving forward, that's for sure.