It’s not exactly typical to hear about Brendan Fraser playing the part of a villain, but that appears to be what’s going to happen in the upcoming Batgirl movie that will be headed to HBO Max at some point, and it’s been causing a lot of ears to perk up in anticipation. Fraser has definitely been seeing his career rise once again after a long period of time which saw his kind of fade into the background, and a lot of people are loving it. The rumors are that Fraser will be making his way back as the villain known as Firefly, a pyromaniac that has no special abilities of his own but is well-versed in pyrotechnics and knows very well how to handle and use flammable fluids to the best advantage. This is the kind of danger that would be handled by someone of Batman, or Batgirl’s caliber, though it feels that if he is turned into the more violent version of the villain that it’s likely that he’ll give her a bit of a run, though it all depends on the writing.
In terms of acting, Fraser has never really lost what he had, though the years haven’t been kind to him in terms of looks since the 90s heartthrob has given way to the over the hill individual that is still a great actor but isn’t about to offer up any sex appeal for this movie. But to be fair, Brandon’s expertise and the fact that Firefly is the type of character that’s burned himself up in the comics makes it clear that he’s there because of his talent and not so much his looks. Over the years he’s stayed fairly busy and he’s been the type of guy that can be depended on for a role now and then, but this sudden return to the screen in such a big way, or to the public eye rather, has been kind of nice.
A lot of us can probably still remember what it was like when Brendan was first coming up in movies such as School Ties and Encino Man. The thing is, he’s been around for a long time and never really went away, but for a while, his movies haven’t exactly been tearing up the charts, though he did make a few cameos in noticeable movies that gave him a short entry before taking him out once again. It’s bound to be kind of interesting to see what he can do as a villain this time around if the rumors turn out to be true. There’s not a lot to say that they aren’t simply because at this point everyone’s been passing it around so much that it might as well be true. But just in case, there are likely several other villains that Fraser could take on and be just as impressive since there are a lot of villains to pick from when it comes to any member of the Bat-family given that they’ve racked up quite a list over the years. There is a question though of whether this movie will spawn a sequel or if it’s being planned as a single outing. That’s bound to be determined sometime after the movie is finally screened no doubt, or after it’s been released in order to gauge the audience’s reaction.
How far the Bat-family is going to go in the movies and on TV is kind of interesting to think about since one has to think that since they’ve been pushed for decades now it’s fair to think that some might be anticipating a big shift in the Batman legend and possibly a huge change that might be coming around. But as of yet nothing really monumental has happened considering that in every movie and show that’s come along, the narrative hardly ever gets pushed toward Batman’s eventual mandatory retirement, and the mantle has yet to pass on to anyone that could carry it proudly. Some might want to claim that Batwoman would have been able to do this if the story had been handled with more care, but that’s kind of doubtful since when it comes to Batman and all those that have been riding on his coattails for so long, a lot of people want to see change, but only the type of change that happens without altering the overall narrative.
Eventually, things do need to change since otherwise, it feels as though everything related to Batman is getting rolled out in a new way with new faces to support old storylines and plots that are still easy enough to recognize. Hopefully, Fraser will be able to help turn this coming movie into something that will be different enough that fans will continue to keep the faith and keep on asking for more.
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