A new report reveals that Sylvester Stallone was nearly cast as Firefly, the pyromaniac main antagonist of the Batgirl movie in the DC Extended Universe. A film revolving around the titular crime fighter has been in the works since 2017 when Justice League reshoot helmer Joss Whedon was attached to write and direct the project, though he would drop out just a year later. Warner Bros. and DC Films wouldn't sit on their hands for long as they turned their attention to Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson to pen the script after impressing the studios with her work on the Harley Quinn spin-off film.
After a couple of years of Hodson being busy writing the script for the DCEU's The Flash, WB would get the 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 in May. Casting would get underway shortly thereafter, with In the Heights star Leslie Grace landing the coveted titular role while J.K. Simmons entered talks to reprise his role as Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batgirl's father, from Justice League and Jacob Scipio signing on to star in an undisclosed role. Batgirl's roster recently expanded with the addition of Doom Patrol's Brendan Fraser as the villainous Firefly, though it now appears he wasn't the first actor in mind for the part.
On the heels of Fraser being cast in the part, The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit took to Twitter to reveal Stallone was nearly cast as Firefly in the Batgirl movie. Kit reveals that the Rocky and Rambo star was first offered the part of the main antagonist though a deal couldn't be struck between Stallone and the studio. See what Kit revealed below:
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The addition of Brendan Fraser as Firefly sent a wave of excitement through social media, with fans eager to see his recent streak of high profile roles continue with Batgirl. It also came as an intriguing one given his role in HBO Max's Doom Patrol as Cliff Steele/Robotman, a show that may not technically be connected to the mainline DCEU but has crossed universes multiple time. The thought of Stallone in the part would have created a similar point of curiosity amongst audiences given his recent turn as King Shark in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which does sit as a proper chapter in the cinematic universe.
Even if Stallone isn't going to portray Firefly for HBO Max's Batgirl, his future in the world of comic book adaptations is still looking bright. The film adaptation of Bragi F. Schut, Marc-Oliver Frisch, and Renzo Podesta's graphic novel series Samaritan is currently in post-production and set for a Summer 2022 release while rumors swirl about his potential return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn's final chapter in his Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy. In the meantime, audiences can look forward to Fraser's portrayal of Firefly hitting HBO Max sometime in 2022.
Source: Borys Kit/Twitter
