Expect ‘Batgirl’ to hire a woman director as Whedon exits
IN LESS than a year, three of the most successful superhero films — “Black Panther,””Thor: Ragnarok”and“WonderWoman” — have been guided by a growing diversity of directors new to comics adaptations.
And that Hollywood shift stands to affect who might get hired as the new director of “Batgirl.”
On Thursday, as the Hollywood Reporter first reported, Joss Whedon announced that he was bowing out of “Batgirl,” nearly a year after the deal was announced.
Officially, Whedon’s reason for exiting is a matter of story. As in, he didn’t have one he believed in. The filmmaker said in a statement peppered with both gratitude and self-deprecation:
“‘Batgirl’ is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realise I really didn’t have a story. I’m grateful to Geoff (Johns, DC Enterainment president) and Toby (Emmerich, Warner Bros. chairman) and everyone who was so welcoming when I arrived, and so understanding when I ... uh, is there a sexier word for ‘failed’?”
It’s an odd turn of events, given that “Batgirl” had been presented as Whedon’s creative baby — one that seemed in his wheelhouse as both a creator of young female protagonist stories (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” et al.) and a veteran of superhero blockbusters (both “Avengers” films). He also had Gail Simone’s recent popular run on the Batgirl comics from which to draw.
But much has changed between then and now. DC’s biggest hit of last year was the zeitgeistnabbing “Wonder Woman,” which showcased Patty Jenkins’ talent on a big-budget scale and gave DC a path forward after a string of disappointments. The success of Jenkins’ vision also shed new light on a past Whedon script for “Wonder Woman” that rang with timedeaf notes in 2017. (Also bad optics for his “feminist” bona fides: His ex-wife, Kai Cole, made scathing claims against him last summer in an essay for The Wrap, prompting even the longtime site Whedonesque to close up shop.) — WP-Bloomberg