Joss Whedon says it was “a little heartbreaking” to leave the Batgirl movie

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Not all that long ago word came out that Joss Whedon would be stepping away from writing and directing an upcoming BATGIRL movie for DC. At the time he said it was because he “didn’t have an idea” for the movie, leading him to exit the project. Now he’s opened up a bit more about the movie, talking more about what exactly happened to whatever idea he must’ve had when he started planning the movie.

Whedon was speaking with Variety at the AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR premiere when he was asked about BATGIRL, and his explanation for leaving was more that he had an idea, but that the idea began to seem less feasible as time went on. In the end, it seemed the movie he wanted to make became less and less possible, forcing him to have to part ways.

I had been a year since I first pitched the story, a lot happened in that year, and I felt some of the elements might not work as well and the story kind of just crumbled in my hands. There were elements that I just hadn’t mastered, and I felt that after a long time 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, it just didn’t fit in the space that was left for it. It was a little heartbreaking because I was so excited about, but I’m working on something of my own and there’s nothing more exciting than that.

The director’s exit from the project came at a time when the state of DC’s film slate was not on a steady ground as we thought. The failure of JUSTICE LEAGUE (for which Whedon handled reshoots and editing) caused a lot to be reconsidered, and some stuff we had been hearing was in the works is taking a bit more time to get going. BATGIRL is one of those movies DC seems to want to get into gear, and now they’ve hired Christina Hodson (BUMBLEBEE) to tackle the script.

As cool as a Whedon BATGIRL would be, I think it’s time he’s stepped away from comic book stuff for a while. He did an amazing job with THE AVENGERS, a good job with the sequel, and did what he could with what he was given on LEAGUE. That’s a lot of work with several high-profile superhero movies, and surely the scrutiny that comes with it can be jarring. Now’s the time come for him to do exactly what he’s doing – his own stuff. Maybe a memoir? Surely there are some behind-the-scenes AVENGERS tidbits we don't know about!