The Hollywood Reporter brings word that after nearly a year in development, writer/director Joss Whedon has stepped away from the Batgirl movie at Warner Bros.
“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,” Whedon said in a statement. “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’?”
It had previously been confirmed that Whedon’s Batgirl movie would be part of the ever-evolving DC Extended Universe, though it remains to be seen if the project will still be a priority for the studio following leadership adjustments and the disappointment of Justice League.
No other producers are attached to the Batgirl movie, though Toby Emmerich, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns would oversee the project for the studio.
Batgirl’s first comic appearance in 1967 was as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, and she later became an ally of Batman and Robin in Gotham City. She was previously portrayed by Yvonne Craig in the campy ’60s Batman series, then by Alicia Silverstone (as Barbara Wilson, Alfred’s niece) in the equally-campy 1997 flop Batman & Robin. She was recently voiced by Rosario Dawson in The LEGO Batman Movie.
