Brendan Fraser to Play Villain in DC's HBO Max Movie

Batgirl has officially found its latest cast member. On Monday, it was announced that actor Brendan Fraser has been cast in the upcoming film, which will make its debut on the HBO Max streaming service. Reports are indicating that Fraser is portraying DC villain Firefly, who had been rumored to be appearing in the movie in some capacity. Fraser will join Leslie Grace (In the Heights) as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, with J.K. Simmons expected to return as Commissioner James Gordon, and Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys For Life) cast in a currently-unknown role.

Fraser is no stranger to the DC universe, currently providing the voice of Robotman for HBO Max's Doom Patrol TV show. His filmography also includes The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and Monkeybone.

Initially created by Frances Herron and Dick Sprang in 1952's Detective Comics #184, Firefly is also known as Garfield Lynns, and is a pyromaniac supervillain and a recurring villain of the Bat family. Both Firefly and Killer Moth play major roles in the Batgirl: Year One comic miniseries, which redefined Barbara Gordon's origin in the early 2000s. Firefly previously appeared in live-action on the first season of Arrow, where he was portrayed by Andrew Dunbar. A female incarnation of the character, Bridgit Pike, also appeared on Fox's Gotham.

The Batgirl film has been in the works in some capacity since 2017, and has ramped up development in recent months, enlisting Ms. Marvel and Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to helm the upcoming project. The Batgirl script is written by Christina Hodson, whose work includes Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the upcoming The Flash movie.