After all the fuss, director Joss Whedon has decided to step down from Warner Bros’ Batgirl solo film, according to THR.
Back in March 2017, there was a big excited hubbub when it was reported that Whedon would be writing the script for and directing a Batgirl movie, with DC president Geoff Johns, Warner Bros Picture Group president Toby Emmerich and Jon Berg attached as producers. Now, the film is still going ahead, but without Whedon at the helm.
“Batgirl is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realise I really didn’t have a story,” Whedon told THR.
“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’?”
For Joss Whedon fans, the reason for his exit is a bit disappointing. But hey, it’s better to have loved and lost than to end up with a terrible Batgirl film.
Who knows, maybe they’ll ask a woman to make it now.
For those unfamiliar with the character, a little history: Batgirl (alias Barbara Gordon) first appeared in DC Comics in 1967 in ‘The Million Dollar Debut Of Batgirl‘ by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. In the story, she was the daughter of Gotham City’s police commissioner James Gordon.
Technically, Barbara Gordon wasn’t the first Batgirl to feature in DC Comics canon: a character called Betty Kane was introduced in the Batman comics as ‘Bat-Girl’ in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. However, Kane was later replaced by Barbara Gordon, who would go on to become the most iconic version of the character.
Batgirl doesn’t yet have a release date. Get all the latest superhero movie news with every issue of SciFiNow.