Following the big shake-ups at Warner Bros. Discovery that led to the cancellation of the highly anticipated Batgirl, fans are showing up to grieve and mourn over what could have been. One thing in particular that people were looking forward to seeing was Brendan Fraser, who was supposed to be the main villain in the DC film. As the actor's big renaissance continues, Fraser's followers are rallying for the movie to be released so they can see him in it.
Brendan Fraser has been getting a lot of love lately as the actor has been in the midst of a big Hollywood comeback. He was set to portray pyromaniac Firefly in Batgirl, and fans were more than ready to see him in the film. After Warner Bros. canceled it, many have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts. One person brought up the fact that Fraser is adored by people everywhere, and to have the studio just decide to not release a movie with him in it is downright unfair:
One of the biggest things that blows my mind about the cancellation and the seemingly complete erasure of the Batgirl movie is that you had a movie that had Brendan Fraser, who a lot of people rightfully adore, as a villain and you decided NOT to at least put it on streaming.August 24, 2022
Recently, Brendan Fraser was named the recipient of the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance at the Toronto International Film Festival. After one user pointed out that previous winners went on to take the stage at the Oscar the following year, another user expressed how ironic it would be if Fraser did win for his role in the upcoming A24 film, The Whale:
WB/DC cancelling a Batgirl movie starring Brendan Fraser and then him winning the Oscar for Best Actor months later would just be peak WB/DC. https://t.co/mtTv9zsFkMAugust 22, 2022
After hearing about how much of a “delight” Brendan Fraser was on the set of Batgirl, it made fans want to see the movie that much more, considering he’s playing a villain. One Twitter user is expressing their anger about Warner Bros. canceling the movie, knowing how big of a teddy bear Fraser was:
Was just thinking about how Leslie Grace called Brendan Fraser a "huge teddy bear" and "one of the nicest people I've ever met" and now I'm even madder at WB for cancelling Batgirl #ReleaseBatgirlAugust 19, 2022
Something else that fans were looking forward to in Batgirl was Michael Keaton’s return as Batman. The fact that we are no longer getting Brendan Fraser as a villain and Keaton as the Caped Crusader (at least until he makes his grand return in The Flash) makes it that much more upsetting. And people are petitioning to have it be released, even as a standalone movie:
WB please just release Batgirl even as a standalone self contained sequel to the Burton movies. There are so many people who want to see it and want to see Michael Keaton & Brendan Fraser in action. It would be such a waste to just not release it #Batgirl #ReleaseBatgirl 🦇🦇🦇August 27, 2022
With Batgirl reportedly getting some secret screenings before it’s put in the Warner Bros. vault, one user on Twitter is suggesting a mission that is a lot like one fan-favorite movie in order to retrieve footage, and Brendan Fraser is leading the team:
We need an Ocean's 11 style movie where they have to retrieve the Batgirl files from WB's vault. Ideally with Brendan Fraser as himself joining the gang.August 23, 2022
It’s definitely a disappointment that we won’t be getting the Batgirl movie nor Brendan Fraser as Firefly after seeing some sweet photos of him as the villain. And fans aren’t the only ones petitioning for a release of some sort. Batgirl star Ivory Aquino pleaded with the studio to not destroy the footage as she and the cast and crew have poured their hearts out into the movie.
As of now, it’s unknown what the studio’s plans for Batgirl are, whether they’ll destroy the footage or stick it in the vault forever, but either way, it’s a sad time for fans of the DC character and of Brendan Fraser.
Luckily, Fraser’s upcoming film The Whale will be premiering at the 79th Venice International Film Festival this weekend, and with two other films coming out in 2023, the Brenaissance will live on. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie schedule to see what films are coming soon.
