Brendan Fraser might just end up being the knight in shining armor for DC’s Batgirl.
Famous for his role in Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy, the American-Canadian actor’s lead role in the upcoming psychological drama, The Whale, is believed to bag an Academy Award nomination with him already garnering critical acclamation for his commendable role in the film. And the directors of Batgirl are strongly hoping that this potential Oscar win would help resuscitate their discarded film.
With a budget of $90 million, Batgirl was scrapped in the middle of production by Warner Bros. Discovery, an egregious decision that rendered the entire DC fandom dejected. But it looks like there might be a flicker of hope left for the film after all.
Will the Oscar Talk Surrounding Brendan Fraser Revive Batgirl?
We sure hope so.
Speaking with Variety about their new Hollywood project and their shelved DC movie, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah seem to be holding out on the hope that the chatter about Brendan Fraser bringing home an Oscar for The Whale might pave the way for Batgirl’s resurrection.
“He is so, so talented,” Arbi, 34, praised Fraser who portrayed the villain named Firefly in the film before it got cancelled. And Fallah seems to be of the same view as he claimed the No Sudden Move actor to be “the nicest guy” he’s ever come across in his life.
“I never had an experience like that,” Fallah, 36, said recalling the seven months of filming Batgirl in Glasgow, Scotland when the movie was still very much in progress. “The whole city was working with us to make it possible. I hope we can get back.”
The Belgian directors are mighty proud of Fraser’s depiction of Firefly in Batgirl and Arbi wishes that the former’s potential Academy Award win for The Whale could further liven up the future for their scrapped film, thereby leading to Batgirl’s revival.
“The way he played that character… It was one of the most memorable villains, so we’ll see. Maybe when he wins his Oscar they’ll want to show the movie.”
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale is a movie based on a play of the same name, starring Fraser and Sadie Sink wherein the former is shown to be an obese English teacher named Charlie, who longs to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie. And critics seem to be highly impressed by the Inkheart star’s performance in his new film with rumors buzzing about him earning an Oscar for the same.
Batgirl Directors Continue to Remain Hopeful
When the Leslie Grace-led movie was brought to a halt and cancelled by Warner Bros. Discovery back in August, Arbi mentioned how any access they had to any of the stuff concerning their movie was restricted. But they “might” have the footage “somewhere.”
“We don’t have any influence on that,” the filmmaker pointed out with regard to having the film released. However, both him and Fallah have their fingers crossed for the best possible outcome.
The iconic duo recently even said that they’d still be willing to work with Warner Bros. despite the studio mercilessly scrapping their project. So, all hope isn’t lost.
The Whale starring Brendan Fraser releases on December 9, 2022.
Source: Variety
