As comic book fandom prepares to gather together for San Diego Comic-Con this year, Joss Whedon has sadly confirmed that he won't be present at the event. The filmmaker is currently overseeing the reshoots/pickup shoots for the upcoming DC Extended Universe blockbuster, Justice League.

With Warner Bros. and the DCEU still beaming over the success of Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, it's expected that Justice League - the next DCEU installment due to reach theaters this year - will have a major presence at SDCC 2017. With director Zack Snyder dropping out due to a personal tragedy, Whedon has stepped up to the plate for a key stage in post-production on the film. As mentioned though, it appears that any Hall H Justice League news will be provided only by Geoff Johns and the rest of the movie's cast (unless, of course, someone makes a surprise appearance...)

An Englishman In San Diego contributor Mark Searby was in London on business and snapped a picture of himself with Whedon. The director is in the capital to handle the Justice League reshoots, but he also broke the Comic-Con news to Searby. According to the report, Whedon said:

“I won’t be there. Only the second time in twenty years I won’t make it.”

Justice League cast 2017

Although Joss will only be there in spirit, expect Justice League to still have a huge presence in Hall H, and there is another possibility of course. Even if Whedon isn't in attendance, could Zack Snyder actually lead the panel himself? Since Snyder's departure from the Justice League set, he hasn't completely shied away from DC events and appeared at both CinemaCon and the Chinese premiere of Wonder Woman. For last year's SDCC, he even flew all night from London just to showcase some Justice League footage. (Remember the hashtag "NeverMissHallH?") Well, if Snyder was going to appear anywhere, it would almost certainly be Comic-Con.

Although Whedon is currently at the helm of the superhero team-up, it still remains Snyder's baby and arguably his film. There is no confirmation, but the duo will presumably share a director's credit for the DCEU's biggest outing yet. However, apart from Justice League, it is frustrating that the lack of Whedon may also indicate less news relating to his upcoming Batgirl movie. With Joss also bringing Barbara Gordon to our screens in another female superhero film for the DCEU, many had hoped that the director could offer us some insight into his plans for Babs at SDCC this year.

However, with Justice League still circling its November 2017 release, and Whedon presumably locked into the editing and post-production stages by SDCC, you can't blame him for deciding to sit this one out. It will undoubtedly be all hands on deck to get the film finished on time, but at least the crew has high hopes that they can still stick on the cowl and drive the Batmobile to success before the year is out.

Next: Batgirl Reportedly Won’t Debut in Justice League

Source: An Englishman In San Diego

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