Sylvester Stallone Almost Made It To Batgirl As A Villain
According to recent reports, Sylvester Stallone was nearly cast as Firefly aka the pyromaniac main antagonist of the Batgirl movie in the DC Extended Universe.
The film revolving around Batgirl has been in the works since 2017 back when Justice League reshoot helmer Joss Whedon was attached to write and direct the project, though he went on to drop out just a year later. Warner Bros. and DC Films turned to Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson to pen down the script for the movie as the studio was impressed with her work on the Harley Quinn spin-off film.
After a couple of years of Hodson being swamped with DCEU’s The Flash, WB got their wheels rolling on Batgirl again earlier this year as Bad Boys for Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah signed on to direct the film at HBO Max.
Casting followed quickly. Leslie Grace from In The Heights was roped in to play Batgirl while J.K.Simmons entered talks to reprise his role as Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batgirl’s father, and Jacob Scipio signed an undisclosed role.
Brendan Fraser was recently cast as the villainous Firefly, but he wasn’t the first actor they had in mind.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Bory Kits went on to Twitter to reveal that Stallone was nearly cast as Firefly in the Batgirl film. Kit went on to reveal that Stallone was first offered the part of the main antagonist though a deal couldn’t be struck between Stallone and the studio. Here’s what he tweeted:
Sylvester Stallone first had the offer for the part but things just didn't work out. Another key role in BATGIRL: the son of the gangster/villain, who becomes romantically linked to…well, you can take it from there. https://t.co/V4rpiZBaCV
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) October 25, 2021
However, the fans are extremely excited to see Brendan Fraser as Firefly! The news did come intriguing considering his role in HBO Max’s Doom Patrol as Cliff Steele/ Robotman, a show that may not be technically connected to the mainline DCEU but it certainly has crossed universes many times.
The idea of Stallone in the part would have created a curiosity among audiences considering his turn as King Shark in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Even if Stallone isn’t going to play Firefly for HBO Max’s Batgirl, his future in the world of comic book adaptation is vast and bright.
