Brendan Fraser defends doomed $90M Batgirl film saying ‘Gotham never looked better cast as Glasgow’

Brendan Fraser has defended the Batgirl film he appeared in that was shelved by Warner Bros. last summer in a shocking move.

The Oscar-nominated star of The Whale, 54, appeared at a SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room in Los Angeles.

At the event, Fraser wore a brown cowhide coat over a black shirt with dark blue jeans and black boots.

The actor Wednesday told Howard Stern that the DC motion picture didn’t get a ‘fair shake’ when it was shelved by the studio ahead of its 2022 release.

Fraser, who played the role of Firefly in the movie, said that Batgirl filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah got it right shooting in Glasgow, Scotland, which made a prime stand-in for Gotham.

‘Gotham never looked better cast as Glasgow, Scotland, you know,’ the Indianapolis, Indiana-born actor said. ‘It’s decaying and just gorgeous, and it looks like it’s Gotham City; it’s perfectly cast.’

He added: ‘You believe it no matter where you look in the town if you light it the right way.’

Batgirl, which starred Leslie Grace in the title role and also featured a supporting cast including J.K. Simmons and Michael Keaton, had a $90 million budget.

The latest: Brendan Fraser, 54, appeared at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations event in LA Tuesday, days after he defended the Batgirl film he appeared in that was shelved by Warner Bros. last summer in a shocking move

Following test screenings last year, the movie was shelved by the studio, with no plans for theatrical or streaming release on tap.

He said that the test screenings were rough cuts of the film, and ‘it wasn’t shown in the best light that it could have been’ in hindsight.

‘I don’t know about you, but I don’t eat half-baked cake,’ the actor said. ‘I don’t want to see something that’s not ready yet and the sad thing is.’

Fraser opened up to Stern about the villainous role of Firefly he played: ‘It was a story about a guy who had been in the service and his benefits were cut and he was very angry with the system and what else is he going to do but burn it to the ground?’

He added, ‘You’ve got some sympathy to him, you’ve also got some humanity to him, and on top of that, a screw loose – like all the best bad guys, you kind of like him a little bit.’

Fraser said that he ‘relished’ the part and described it as ‘great fun’ despite the disappointing fate of the film.

Fraser said that another upsetting factor in the shelving of the film was that young females didn’t have the chance to see Grace’s ‘wonderful’ portrayal of the superhero.

‘That’s disappointing for obvious reasons, but moreover because little girls are going to have to wait longer now before they can see a Batgirl who they can identify’ with, Fraser said. 

Fraser said that Batgirl filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah got it right shooting in Glasgow, Scotland, which made a prime stand-in for Gotham 

Fraser said that he ‘relished’ playing the part of Firefly and described it as ‘great fun’ despite the disappointing fate of the film

At the event, Fraser wore a brown cowhide coat over a black shirt with dark blue jeans and black boots

Fraser said that another upsetting factor in the shelving of the film was that young females didn’t have the chance to see Leslie Grace’s ‘wonderful’ portrayal of the superhero