Joss Whedon Defends His Leaked Wonder Woman Script

Joss Whedon is defending his Wonder Woman script, saying he thinks "it's great." The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director was recruited by Warner Bros. to write and direct a Wonder Woman movie back in the mid-2000s. While Whedon and WB ultimately parted ways due to creative differences, story details for the project remained under lock and key until Whedon's Wonder Woman script leaked online last year. Shortly thereafter, Patty Jenkins' take on the Amazonian princess hit theaters and became a runaway success, both critically and commercially. Jenkins later came out and asked fans not to compare her Wonder Woman movie to Whedon's script... though, naturally, people did anyway.

Whereas Jenkins' Wonder Woman movie is primarily a period piece, Whedon's script places the Princess of Themyscira in a modern-day setting. Diana also has a complex and difficult relationship with her mother Hippolyta and the other Amazons in Whedon's screenplay, as opposed to the loving bond that they all share in Jenkins' movie. Fan reaction to Whedon's script was generally negative, with some people accusing Whedon of being sexist, arguing that his Wonder Woman screenplay focuses more on Steve Trevor's heroic deeds than Diana's.

Speaking with Vanity Fair at the Los Angeles premiere of Avengers: Infinity War, Whedon addressed the backlash against his leaked Wonder Woman script. Admitting that he re-read the controversial script following the backlash, Whedon says he still believes that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with it:

“I don’t know which parts people didn’t like but I went and re-read the script after I heard there was a backlash. I think it’s great. People say that it’s not woke enough. I think they’re not looking at the big picture. It’s easy to take one phrase out of context, and [I wasn't] the most woke individual who ever lived at that time, 10 years ago. But I was in there swinging and the movie has integrity and the characters have integrity and I stand by it.”

Whedon has an odd relationship with the comic book movie community. While his first Avengers movie is still widely celebrated, his sequel Age of Ultron is less beloved by comparison. He also endured a good deal of blowback last year, between the backlash to both his Wonder Woman script and his Justice League reshoots, which significantly changed Zack Snyder's original cut of the DCEU film. Controversy continues to surround Whedon's version of Justice League, with many fans criticizing the film for being disjointed and calling for the so-called Snyder Cut of the movie to be released.

Currently, Whedon is taking a break from the comic book film genre, having officially dropped out as the writer and director of DC's Batgirl movie earlier this year. The filmmaker originally claimed that he had left Batgirl because he couldn't come up with a good story for the film - itself a peculiar explanation, seeing as WB reportedly wasn't planning a Batgirl movie until Whedon pitched it. However, the filmmaker has since back-tracked a bit on his previous statement on the matter.