Shock waves were sent throughout the entertainment industry when newly appointed President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav announced the cancellation of plans to release several practically finished films. Eschewing various release plans to instead reportedly utilize the projects as nothing more than tax write-offs, the most surprising of these canceled films was Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's upcoming DC installment, Batgirl. But while what is happening to Batgirl is an outright travesty, perhaps one of the saddest parts of the film's cancellation is the continued trend of the big brass of Hollywood callously treating Brendan Fraser as entirely expendable.
Fraser is a national treasure. Rising to prominence in the early '90s, Fraser's combination of good looks and insanely committed physical performances cemented him as an immensely charming star. Films like Encino Man, Airheads and George of the Jungle endeared Fraser to audiences, showcasing his innate ability to imbue what could have easily been goofy, one-not characterizations with genuine humanity and depth. And while films such as these and the beloved The Mummy franchise were among Fraser's most popular credits, the actor was never one to rest on his laurels. Films like Bill Condon's exquisite Gods and Monsters gave Fraser a chance to dig deep and offer up an examination of his own public image. Even more mainstream films like Blast from the Past, Monkeybone or Looney Tunes: Back in Action saw Fraser taking subversive glee in dissecting his own persona.
Even at the peak of his power in the '90s, Fraser was anything but a traditional leading man. He was one of his generation's greatest character actors, saddled with the burden of being absurdly handsome. He remained a prolific and endlessly fascinating performer to watch well into the '00s, which is what made it so surprising when he all but vanished from the public eye near the end of the decade.
As covered in the remarkably intimate and affecting GQ profile from 2018, Fraser has since admitted that his disappearance had many factors. Years of overexertion had worn on his body, leaving him needing several surgeries, and he found himself increasingly at odds with many of his peers. And then there was the horrific incident that saw him sexually assaulted and blacklisted by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Phillip Berk. All of this led to Fraser's career taking a backseat for a substantial amount of time as the actor recovered, physically and emotionally.
Thankfully, Fraser has recently begun to re-enter the public eye to great acclaim. His roles in projects such as Doom Patrol, No Sudden Move and Trust have all earned him praise from fans and critics alike. But his role in Batgirl was destined to serve as perhaps his biggest moment back in the spotlight, as he played the villainous Firefly in what would have been his first substantive return to blockbuster filmmaking since 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
By playing Firefly, a classic villain from DC Comics, Batgirl would find Fraser sharing the screen with a host of talented actors, being guided by exciting young directors and getting the chance to bring his work to a stepping stone in the future of the DC Extended Universe. And according to on-set reports and interviews with Fraser, the actor was even getting immense freedom to sculpt his performance. Rather than using the character's comic book origins, Fraser's version of Firefly was to be a veteran who feels the world has done him wrong and seeks vengeance. Fraser divulged, "It's a new character, it's a new day. He's quite cross, he's a veteran whose benefits have been cut, so he wants to burn Gotham to the ground."
That sounds like peak Fraser, the sort of performance he would excel at. Whether it's exploiting his own good looks for Gods and Monsters or literally punching his own public persona in the face in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Fraser has always thrived at deconstructing himself through his characters. Firefly presented him with one of his greatest opportunities to do so since his return and would have had the added benefit of reaching millions-upon-millions of eyes.
Fortunately, the Brenaissance is not over. Fraser's performance in Darren Aranofsky's upcoming The Whale is sure to be an Oscar contender, and he even has a role in Martin Scorsese's next film, Killers of the Flower Moon. But Batgirl presented a unique opportunity for Fraser to sink his teeth into something geared toward a much wider audience. And after all the things Fraser has endured to get here, it's unbelievably tragic to see him getting mistreated again.