Brendan Fraser was not DC's first choice for the lead villain role in its upcoming Batgirl film.According to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter, action star Sylvester Stallone was first approached by the comic company for the part. However, "things just didn't work out," leading DC to close with Brendan Fraser instead. Kit also revealed that the film will include the son of Fraser's villain, who becomes romantically involved with Leslie Grace's Barbara Gordon / Batgirl.RELATED: Batgirl Movie's Latest News and Story Details (So Far)

As to who Fraser is playing, The Mummy star will portray the pyromaniac Garfield Lynns / Firefly. While some reports had Fraser playing gangster Carmine Falcone, Kit later confirmed that he is stepping into the role of Firefly. Created by writer France Herron and artist Dick Sprang, the character made his pre-Crisis debut in Detective Comics #184 in June 1952. A washed-out special effects artist, Lynns used his talents to commit crime by creating fake fires. However, after Crisis on Infinite Earths reset the DC Universe timeline and continuity, he was given a darker origin, including abusive parents.

Fraser joins a steadily growing cast that includes Grace, Jacob Scipio in an unknown role and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon, reprising his role from Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League. Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct, with a script from Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and The Flash scribe Christina Hodson.

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Batgirl will be DC's first live-action, original film to go straight to HBO Max. (Not including Zack Snyder's Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984, which opened simultaneously in theaters.) It is part of WarnerMedia's new strategy to send films based on lesser-known characters straight to the streamer, while the most popular ones retain theatrical releases.

Another film that will be joining Batgirl on HBO Max is Blue Beetle, which will star Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, the third incarnation of the titular hero. However, concept art for the film released during DC FanDome indicates that Ted Kord -- the second version of the character -- will play some role in the movie.

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Source: Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter