Brendan Fraser to Play Infamous Batman Villain in 'Batgirl' Movie
The Brendan Fraser renaissance now includes two DC Comics roles. The actor was cast as Firefly, a longtime Barman villain who likes to set things on fire, in the upcoming HBO Max Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace as the title character. Fraser also voices another DC Comics character, the hero Robotman, in the HBO Max series Doom Patrol. Batgirl is set to be released exclusively to HBO Max in 2022.
Batgirl will be directed by Bad Boys For Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with a script from Christina Hodson, who previously worked on Birds of Prey, The Flash, and Bumblebee. Kristin Burr, whose credits include Cruella and Christopher Robin, will produce. J.K. Simmons is expected to play Commissioner Jim Gordon, whom he previously played in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Bad Boys For Life star Jacob Scipio has an unknown role in the project. Fraser's casting as Firefly was first reported by Deadline.
The plot of the movie is unknown. Batgirl was originally introduced in 1961 as Betty Kane, but the role was taken over by Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon, in 1967. Barbara is the most familiar Batgirl, although other characters have taken the mantle, including Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown. As for Firefly/Garfield Lynns, he is a sociopathic pyromaniac first introduced in 1952, although the more familiar incarnation of the character wasn't introduced until the 1980s. Lynns appeared in an Arrow episode, played by Andrew Dunbar, while Gotham introduced a female version named Bridgit Pike played by Michelle Veintimilla.
Fraser remains best-known for his string of hits in the 1990s and 2000s, including The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the Best Picture Oscar winner Crash. Following a long break from movies, he returned in 2019 and is now in the middle of a career resurgence. He stars in Darren Aronofsky's next movie, The Whale, and has an important supporting role in Martin Scorsese's upcoming epic Killers of the Flower Moon. Fraser was also seen in Steven Soderbergh's latest movie, No Sudden Move. His recent television credits include Doom Patrol, Titans, Condor, Trust, The Affair, and Texas Rising.
Grace recently starred in In The Heights and is also a Latin Grammy Award-nominated recording artist. Batgirl will be her second film. "I'm so excited to honor this iconic character whose legacy spans over 50 years," Grace recently told Billboard. "It's a huge responsibility but also an honor — and I want to do my very best to make sure she gets the best of all I have to give!"