From George of the Jungle to The Whale, Hollywood royalty Brendan Fraser has done it all. While the actor has yet to – successfully – venture into the superhero movie universe, his past role as the villain Firefly has made a whipping return as the very own comeback king recalls his participation in the debacle of a DC film, Batgirl, which ultimately never saw the light of day.
During his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the host prompted the conversation surrounding Batgirl by recalling Fraser’s participation in the scrapped film, although Stern believed the film was never shot altogether. The Mummy actor immediately responded with his retelling of the story, admitting that the entire movie led by Leslie Grace was shot from start to finish, but ultimately ended up “in a vault somewhere, in a dumpster.” Although the movie never hit theaters, some people have actually managed to watch it behind the scenes, but Fraser himself admits to not wanting to view it anytime soon.
“I have friends and coworkers 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, the 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.”
Despite the film receiving good reviews from those around the actor, Fraser believes it wasn’t given a “fair shake,” at persevering. Batgirl would also become the first modern take on Batgirl, and the third female-led installment in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe.
In the same interview, Fraser recalled an underlying issue in the comic-adaptation world, considering its lack of female-led films in comparison to male superhero’s exposure in the genre. This seemingly constant debate surrounding female superheroes results in Batgirl‘s scrapping becoming a much harsher issue for young girls to accept, as they will not be able to see themselves on screen as Batgirl in a foreseeable future.
“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'”
The role of Batgirl, or Barbara Gordon, was played by Leslie Grace in the unreleased movie, and while Warner Bros. assured the scrapping was not because of Grace’s performance as the superhero, the actress’ first role as a major character on the DC universe was still placed under wraps – despite Fraser’s continuous praise on his co-star.
“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.”
While Batgirl is still expected to remain in the vault for the future, The Whale starring Fraser is available on Amazon Prime Video, as his upcoming projects are still in the works.
