5 Reasons Why Joss Whedon Shouldn't Direct Batgirl

Why are we even having this conversation after Justice League?

by Ewan Paterson
Batgirl Year One
DC Comics

What a week it's been for Joss Whedon. First, he's signed on for DC's Batgirl movie, then he's off it, and now he's back again. Holy inconsistent reporting, Batman!

But what, exactly, does this bode for the project going forward? DCEU fans will need no reminder of the fact that Matt Reeves' Batman reboot has been blighted by developmental issues since day one, dating back to when Ben Affleck was signed on to star and direct, and now it seems as though yet another Bat character is experiencing issues, this time Barbara Gordon.

And really, Babs is a character that deserves so much more than what Whedon can offer. DC already took a fantastic step with Wonder Woman by making it a woman-led work, so to have Whedon presiding over a Batgirl film - one that will feature a character who, in the comics, has dealt with her fair share of harrowing moments - feels like a step back.

There certainly isn't a shortage of candidates to helm a truly compelling Batgirl film, and with Whedon's stock rapidly falling in the wake of Justice League, DC would do well to remove the director from the comic book conversation as soon as possible.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.