It’s been revealed today that Joss Whedon is no longer writing and directing the solo Batgirl movie for Warner Bros. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Whedon admitted he had no story to tell with Batgirl and it took him months to realize that fact.
“Batgirl is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realize I really didn’t have a story”
He went on to thank Geoff Johns and Toy Emmerich for their warm welcome when he came aboard in 2017.
“I’m grateful to Geoff and Toby and everyone who was so welcoming when I arrived, and so understanding when I… uh, is there a sexier word for ‘failed’?”
The Hollywood Reporter does add to the report that Whedon was unable to crack a good story with Batgirl, especially in todays culturally sensitive world where a female director must direct a female superhero or risk being scrutinized by the public. With Whedon’s political side rubbing many the wrong way already that could add to it.
Keep in mind though that Whedon had written many strong women characters such as Buffy and Faith from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, as well as River Tam from Serenity and Firefly. In fact many of his shows tend to focus mostly on strong women, along with his early works were writing on the sitcom Roseanne, with Angel being the exception.
What is more alarming is that Warner Bros. took on Whedon’s Batgirl without a clear story in mind. When Batgirl got announced it was the belief that he pitched an idea close to the Gail Simone New 52 run and those at the studio were on board with the idea.
Hopefully this doesn’t mean the Batgirl movie is off the table for good, there is still an opportunity to create a possible Birds of Prey movie or have the New 52 arc of her returning as Batgirl integrated into a Batman story. They could also have her appear in the Gotham City Sirens movie.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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