Joss Whedon Reveals Why He Exited ‘Batgirl’

These days, there are a lot of projects going on behind-the-scenes at Warner Bros. The studio is looking to dive deep into the world of DC Comics and turn around its spotty film reputation with films like Aquaman and Wonder Woman 2. For awhile, it looked like Batgirl would be added to that list, but the project hit a snag when its director jumped ship.

So, if you want to know why Joss Whedon exited the film, you don’t have to wonder any longer. The director just told fans what they needed to know in one blunt interview.

Right now, the world has its eyes on Los Angeles as Marvel Studios is hosting the world premiere of Avengers: Infinity War. The film will debut later this week, and Whedon showed up for the big event as the director oversaw the last two Avengers ventures. It was there that Variety asked Whedon about Batgirl, and he detailed the real reason behind his exit.

“It had been a year since I first pitched the story — a lot happened in that year. I felt some of the elements might not work as well, and the story just kind of crumbled in my hands,” Whedon admitted.

“There were elements I hadn’t mastered and after a long time felt like I wasn’t going to,” he continued. “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 for it.”

From the sound of it, it seems like Whedon parted ways with Batgirl due to its story. The director couldn’t find a way to make his pitch work any longer, but fans can try to imagine how the film would have gone. Shortly after Whedon left the movie, details emerged about his take.

As Variety reported, the picture was said to take after several famous comic arcs. “The movie was to be based on the Batgirl story that was first unveiled in DC Comics in 1967, when Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, appeared as the character in ‘The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!’ by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino,” the site revealed.

Whedon may not be part of Batgirl, but it seems like Warner Bros. is keen on bringing the heroine to the big screen. This month, news broke that the project was back in development as writer Christina Hodson was tapped to write its new script. She was brought on to Batgirl after penning the story for Birds of Prey, a separate female-centric superhero film headed for the DC Extended Universe.

Are you surprised Whedon left the DC Films feature? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!