As you may recall, Joss Whedon was initially hired by Warner Bros. to write and direct the Batgirl movie in March 2017, and wasn’t connected to the Justice League movie at all. After Zack Snyder took a break from Justice League due to a family tragedy, Whedon stepped in to finish the work and the Batgirl project seemed neglected. Now it looks like DC’s superhero team movie will be his only impact on the DC Extended Universe.
Joss Whedon released a statement on Thursday, revealing that he won’t be writing or directing the Batgirl movie.
“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,” – Whedon. “I’m grateful to [DC president Geoff Johns and Warners Picture Group president Toby Emmerich] and everyone who was so welcoming when I arrived, and so understanding when I, uh, is there a sexier word for ‘failed?’”
Although this seems like a legitimate reason, there are reports which say it might not be the only one. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources in the industry say “that even as Whedon faced story issues, in today’s cultural entertainment environment, a male filmmaker may have faced greater public scrutiny if he were to have tackled a movie with such feminist importance such as Batgirl or Wonder Woman, much like a white filmmaker would have seen backlash taking on the Black Panther movie.”
There are no reports whether Warner Bros. studio will continue with the Batgirl movie development and find another director.
Joss Whedon, on the other hand, will not have problems finding another job, with Netflix and Apple being the prime contenders to finance his next project.
