Joss Whedon admits that he feels heartbroken about having to exit DC's Batgirl movie. Whedon first signed on to write and direct the film last spring, and the news was met with equal parts excitement and criticism. While some believed that the former Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator was the right person to helm a female-centric superhero movie, others thought the job should instead go to a female director who would better know how to depict the iconic character.
Yet, over the past year, times changed both in the entertainment industry and real life. The MeToo movement which started last October brought a renewed focus to female empowerment and equality, while Whedon suffered his own personal setback after ex-wife Kai Cole wrote a scathing blog about how the director was a serial cheater and "hypocrite preaching feminist ideals." This was all followed by Whedon also taking a lot of the blame for Justice League's failure due to helming the film's extensive reshoots. In the end, Whedon chose to exit Batgirl citing issues with developing the right story. And now, he's discussed his exit publicly while promoting the latest Marvel film.
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At the Avengers: Infinity War tonight, Whedon was asked to clarify further why exactly he chose to move on from the project, and his response is very interesting. Whedon explained to Variety: “It had been a year since I first pitched the story and a lot happened in that year. I felt some of the elements might not work as well, and the story kind of just crumbled in my hands.”
It sounds like Whedon actually did have an idea for Batgirl, but over time, it just no longer worked anymore. Many are citing the MeToo movement as the reason his idea didn't fit after a lot happened in the past year. There was no longer space in the world for whatever he had planned, and Whedon wasn't able to bring the story back from that. He goes on to say: “There were elements I hadn’t mastered and after a long time felt like I wasn’t going to. So, I told people I didn’t have an idea, which isn’t the exact truth. I had an idea that didn’t fit in the space that was left for it. It was a little heartbreaking because I was so excited about it.”
Regardless, everything seems to have turned out for the best, as Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson has been hired to write Batgirl's screenplay. Meanwhile, Whedon, per the red carpet interview, is now working on something of his own, which fans of the writer-director will be very excited to hear. As for Batgirl, the film is currently under going a rewrite, but the character is certainly a priority at Warner Bros., which means fans should hear more information about the project sometime in the near future.
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Source: Variety
