[Editorial] Joss Whedon Steps Down From Batgirl, All Hope Is On Aquaman

Not a surprise at all, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Joss Whedon has stepped down from directing Warner Bros. Pictures and DC's Batgirl.

Whedon was hired almost a year ago on 30 March 2017. One could almost wonder if this was WB's April's Fool because some pundits are speculating that WB used "Batgirl" as an excuse for Whedon to "unofficially" start taking over from Zach Snyder, who was recently reported as actually being fired from Justice League.

And ever since Whedon completed Justice League to lukewarm responses, with some fans demanding for a "Snyder-cut" of the movie; there has been no sign of movement from the Batgirl solo movie project.

There could be a number of possible reasons why Whedon is no longer directing (his official statement about failing to come up with a story smells like cow dung) if the above speculation is incorrect.

WB may have also let go of Whedon because he failed to deliver a better movie than what we have gotten with Justice League, though I would strongly argue that Whedon already knew he could not have changed too much, especially when Snyder still had the director's credit.

But I am more inclined to believe that Whedon, having brought Marvel's Avengers to life, realised that WB hasn't got their act together at all and decided to bail.

And then there is also the rumour that the executives at WB did not want to delay the opening date of the movie because they wanted to get their bonus.

Plus there have already been multiple reports about WB being a very vocal studio and has been giving too much notes to the directors they bring on. Case in point, The Flash solo movie still has not found its director after losing more than a handful of names.

I'm just waiting for the report that Matt Reeves is also stepping down from The Batman movie.

WB and DC are a total mess right now. I am just  praying that they have learned a valuable lesson from Wonder Woman - a project that went on without a glitch because director Patty Jenkins was able to work in peace.

I do not believe Aquaman will be a failure but its success will depend on how successful the movie actually is. Aquaman also benefited from a quiet production period and I have a lot of faith in James Wan. Unless the movie once again does not resonate with critics and fans, and then reports start to surface about studio meddling again, then I really do believe it is time WB let this DC universe die.

Don't even bother with Flashpoint, which is suppose to give the universe a soft reboot. Because obviously, there is no passion driving the DC arm at WB, only $$$.

But if Aquaman performs well, and since WB is now notorious for being reactionary instead of having a solid plan like the Marvel Cinematic Universe; then here is what they can do next.

Establish the trinity first. We already have a good Superman, we already have a (almost) great Wonder Woman, let Matt Reeves give us a good Batman (doesn't have to be great). Wonder Woman 2 is already on the way - great. How about another Superman sequel first to right the ship, before we jump into the other projects like Flash and Cyborg and Birds Of Prey and the multiple Joker movies? Let's focus on the trinity first, and then we would already have a Justice League.

Don't want to follow the "Marvel way", well, maybe it is still the best way? What else have you to lose at this point? I mean, are you still holding on to your imaginary pride, WB?