With the release ofThe Whalecoming in December, Brendan Fraser has been on a promotional tour that includes many interviews with different outlets. In one of these interviews, the actor took the opportunity to joke about the cancellation of theBatgirlfilm.Batgirlwas canceled by David Zaslavback in August, and its cancellation sparked a wild storm of speculation and condemnations by those who felt it was a callous move on Zaslav’s part. Zaslav came aboard as CEO of Warner Bros. following their acquisition by Discovery. TheBatgirlfilm was set to star Leslie Grace in the starring role of Barbara Gordon, while Brendan Fraser was set to portray the villain Firefly.RELATED:Brendan Fraser Gets Emotional Following Applause At The Whale PremiereIn an interview shared byDC Daily, Fraser was doing a press junket forThe Whalewhen the interviewer asked him and his co-star what they would be up to after the release ofThe Whale.While Fraser’s co-star gave an answer about theater, Fraser quickly answered, “Batgirl.Oh.,” before staring into the camera and bursting into laughter. His ‘forgetful’ response sardonically and sarcastically referred toBatgirl’s sudden and disappointing cancellation. Fraser jokingly had to remind himself to use his ‘inside voice’ rather than joke about the cancellation publicly.
Fraser’s turn inThe Whaleis being highly praised. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Fraser plays a 600-pound man who is attempting to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter, played by Sadie Sink. By all accounts, the film is an emotional tale about a frayed relationship between father and daughter, and it has continued to make headlines following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film marks Fraser’s return to the big screen after a several-year sabbatical.
TheBatgirlaffair has been emotional. Responses have ranged wildly. Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu actually landed in a fair bit of hot water forjoking about theBatgirlcancellation, with many calling his joke insensitive to the cast and crew who worked on the film. Fraser probably won’t get a similar response, given that he actually starred in the film.
Fraser’s response to the cancellation is the latest in the cast’s reaction to the move.Batgirlstar Ivory Aquino, who had portrayed Alysia Yeoh in the film and was set to play DC Film’s first transgender character, wrote an emotional open letter to Zaslav via Twitter, asking him to release the film so that the hard work the cast put into the film could be enjoyed by audiences.
