Brendan Fraser, star of "The Mummy," recently spoke with The Associated Press, offering a rare comment on the "Batgirl" film, which Warner Bros. Discovery abruptly canceled and shelved in 2022. He stated that the incident revealed a worrying industry phenomenon in Hollywood, where projects have become so commodified that "burning them for insurance is more cost-effective than releasing them to audiences."
Fraser, who was set to play the villain Firefly (Garfield Lynns) in "Batgirl," described the filming process as "terrific fun" and noted the production's comprehensive and massive scale.
"It was a whole movie. Four floors of a building in Glasgow were dedicated to filming. I would even sneak into the art department just to satisfy my excitement," he recalled.
However, Warner Bros. ultimately canceled the film, citing tax write-off reasons. Fraser lamented, "What's most regrettable is that a generation of young girls would have seen their own female hero, a character they could relate to. Even Michael Keaton returned to play Batman; the actual Batman was on set."
"The project—or rather, the 'content'—was commodified to such an extent that burning it for insurance became more valuable than attempting to release it and let it compete in the market."
The cancellation of "Batgirl" in 2022 caused an uproar in the industry. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, along with star Leslie Grace, all expressed shock and disappointment.
However, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran stated in 2023 that "Batgirl" "did not possess the quality for release," and forcing its release "could negatively impact the DC brand."
Despite the film never seeing the light of day, some cast members have praised its quality. Jacob Scipio, who also starred, told The Direct last month that it was an excellent film and he regretted that audiences wouldn't see it, but that "you never know how the future might change."
In contrast, Michael Keaton, who reprised his role as Batman, seemed more nonchalant about the incident. He revealed in a GQ interview that he wasn't particularly bothered by the film's cancellation, only feeling regret for the directors.
He reportedly said that he didn't care, calling it a big production that was "pretty fun, and the pay was good." The report also noted that he made a money-rubbing gesture while speaking.
via： Associated Press