Joss Whedon Defends Wokeness Of Failed 'Wonder Woman' Script And Explains 'Batgirl' Departure

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Filmmaker Joss Whedon was one of the many Marvel Studios alums in attendance at last night’s “Avengers: Infinity War” premiere event. While on the purple carpet, the director was interviewed by Variety, and they asked him about a couple superhero projects that never saw the light of day – his failed “Wonder Woman” and “Batgirl” films.

Most recently, the director talked about “Batgirl,” which he announced he was leaving due to not having an idea of how to move forward. In the interview, he explains further, “It had been a year since I had first pitched the story, and a lot happened in that year, and I felt some of the elements might not work as well and the story kinda just crumbled in my hands. There were elements that I just hadn’t mastered, that after a long time, felt like I wasn’t going to.”

The “a lot” that happened over the course of the year probably is a reference to the controversy that surrounds the filmmaker since the very public article written by his ex-wife, Kai Cole, where she called him a hypocrite and alleged a variety of bad situations took place during their 16 year marriage.

However, Whedon didn’t mention that situation explicitly, instead continued to discuss why he left the project, saying, “I told people I didn’t have an idea, which isn’t the exact truth. I had an idea but it just sort of didn’t fit in the space that was left for it.”

Another popular female superhero that Whedon very publicly worked on was Wonder Woman. After his script for a “Wonder Woman” film never was produced, it was leaked online and received some rather harsh criticism from fans. That was magnified when Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” became a blockbuster last year.

When asked about his failed script, Whedon doesn’t back down and defends his work, saying, “I don’t know which parts people didn’t like, but I went and reread the script after I heard there was a backlash. I think it’s 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,” continued the director.

All that being said, it appears that superhero films are not in the future for Whedon. He gladly reveals that his next film is something completely original and he’s happier than ever to work on it.