Joss Whedon steps down as Batgirl movie director

'I really didn’t have a story'

(Getty Images)

Warner Bros. and DC are working on multitudes of superhero movies at the moment, announcing new directors and scriptwriters every few weeks.

One project of those projects was Batgirl, Joss Whedon being lined up to direct, the Avengers filmmaker having previously worked with the studio on Justice League — taking over from Zack Snyder following a family tragedy.

To some surprise, Whedon has now abandoned the project, telling The Hollywood Reporter: “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.”

The director then referred to DC president Geoff Johns and Warner Bros. Picture Group president Toby Emmerich, saying: “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’?”

Sources told the publication Whedon — who became attached to the movie in March 2017 — could not “crack the code of what a Batgirl movie should be”. They added that a male director would have likely faced scrutiny for tackling a feminist icon, looking to the success of Wonder Woman as an example of how these projects should be handled.

Meanwhile, DC has five movies currently with release dates: Aquaman (21 December 2018), Shazam (5 April 2019), Wonder Woman 2 (1 November 2019), Cyborg (3 April, 2020), and Green Lantern Corps (24 July, 2020).

They also have many, many others in development, including: The Batman, Justice League Dark, Suicide Squad 2, Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, Black Adam, Man of Steel 2, Flashpoint, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Harley Quinn and the Joker, Justice League 2, Lobo, Deadshot, Birds of Prey, and Deathstroke.