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joss whedon.jpg

Joss Whedon Explains Why He Left 'Batgirl' And Defends His 'Wonder Woman' Script

By Alyssa Fikse | Film | April 24, 2018 |

By Alyssa Fikse | Film | April 24, 2018 |


joss whedon.jpg

It’s safe to say that fandom’s relationship with Joss Whedon has dramatically shifted in the last year or so. The man who gave us so many beloved properties (love you forever, Scooby Gang) and was a seemingly outspoken feminist turned out to be a disappointment in real life, as so many flesh and blood human beings are. Between the news that he had used his position of power to seduce young women in his employ and his surprisingly terrible leaked Wonder Woman script, the bloom was off the rose for the former untouchable geek god.

After defecting to DC following his post-Ultron Marvel burn out, Whedon seemed like he was ready to climb back aboard another superhero property by directing the upcoming Batgirl film. Eventually, he dropped out of that as well, and the initial report cited his lack of ideas for a story.

Well, on the red carpet for Avengers: Infinity War, Whedon took the time to explain that that wasn’t really the case for Batgirl. He told Variety:

“It 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. The story sort of crumbled in my hands. There were elements that I just hadn’t mastered.”

He went on to call the decision “heartbreaking,” because while he did, in fact, have an idea for the script, it “didn’t fit in the space that was left for it.”

In the interview, he also addressed his leaked Wonder Woman script, and surprise! He had learned nothing from the backlash, claiming that he thought his script was 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. Not that I was the most woke individual that ever lived at that time ten years ago, but I was in there swinging and the movie has integrity and the characters have integrity and I stand by it.”

Sigh. Well, at least we’ll always have Buffy? Right?