Hallelujah, Joss Whedon is no longer helming the Batgirl movie

In the midst of what appears to be an ongoing shuffle at Warner Bros., Joss Whedon exits Batgirl, making it the next DC movie to fall to the wayside.

To quote Khloe Kardashian, “Can I get an amen?”

As Warner Bros. tries to figure out the next chapter for its DC slate of movies, reports confirm that Joss Whedon is no longer part of the Batgirl solo film.

Known primarily as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batgirl has a rich comic history. Whether you know her as the woman who suffered tragically at the hands of the Joker in The Killing Joke, or more recently as the Batgirl in yellow combat boots, I find it hard to believe that it would be hard to put a story together.

However, that’s the reason Whedon gave for his departure.

His official statement to The Hollywood Reporter is as follows:

"Batgirl is such an exciting project, and Warners/DC such collaborative and supportive partners, that it took me months to realize I really didn’t have a story. I’m grateful to Geoff and Toby and everyone who was so welcoming when I arrived, and so understanding when I… uh, is there a sexier word for ‘failed’?"

Though Whedon’s statement feels like the perfect example of why he isn’t the right choice for the film — Joss, why are you trying to make failure sexy? Why does everything have to be sexy? —THR also notes that his failure would just open him up to too much “scrutiny” in “today’s cultural entertainment environment.”

Oh, no kidding. I mean, I’m surprised he was able to stay on the project post-Wonder Woman script debacle. As we can see in the contrasting depiction of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman from one film to the next (Wonder Woman versus Justice League), a female director would be a necessary ingredient.

What’s more, we stand on the precipice of a major revolution, both in Hollywood and outside of it. People are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to the scandals of Hollywood and beyond. Combined with his poor treatment of Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron and a damning letter from his ex-wife, any misstep could lead Whedon down a career-ruining road.

His only saving grace would’ve been if he “fixed” Justice League. But since that bombed at the box office, his track record is a lot less credible than it used to be.

As mentioned previously in regards to a Nightwing solo film, it would be difficult to put these movies together before a Batman solo film took shape. Plus, the DC movies don’t need to over-complicate things more than they already are.

Of course, a ton of people will receive this as bad news. However, I think it’s the best DC news I’ve heard since Wonder Woman crushed the box office.

And don’t feel too bad for Whedon; maybe Kathleen Kennedy can find a job for him.

Aquaman is the next film on the DC slate.

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