He wrote the screenplay for 1995's first full length CGI feature film Toy Story. He also added some interesting mythology to the "Alien" franchise in the form of Alien: Resurrection (1997).
I am a big fan of his television work too. From the short-lived sci-fi series "Firefly" which had a shot at the big screen with Serenity (2005), "Angel" (1999-2004), and of course his crowning achievement..."Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1996-2003), which itself began as a 1992 feature film Given that Whedon has a real knack for writing strong female characters, he seemed like the ideal choice to bring the comic book heroine Wonder Woman to the big screen this year...News that the studio became interested in developing a a second Wonder Woman script to replace the one Whedon had written, made the rounds last week...
And now Whedon made it official on Friday--He's off the project...
Wonder Woman Is Without A Director AgainImage DC Comics Inc
Joss Whedon, who had been developing a big-screen adaptation of DC Comics superhero Wonder Woman for Warner Bros. Pictures and Silver Pictures, parted ways with the studio and production company on the project.
Whedon announced the news on Friday on a fansite, chalking it up to creative differences. "I had a take on the film that, well, nobody liked," he wrote on www.whedonesque.com. Studio and agency sources confirmed the development.
The latest setback on "Wonder Woman," which has gone through a long gestation process, underlines the difficulties studios encounter when developing such marquee pop culture titles....(like the film based on fellow comic book hero the Flash which just lost a director, and then gained another in a matter of days--in another case of creative differences.)
In the case of "Wonder Woman," "We just saw different movies, and at the price range this kind of movie hangs in, that's never gonna work," Whedon said in his post to his fans. "Non-simpatico. It happens all the time. I don't think any of us expected it to this time, but it did. Everybody knows how long I was taking, what a struggle that script was, and though I felt good about what I was coming up with, it was never gonna be a simple slam-dunk. I like to think it rolled around the rim a little bit, but others may have differing views."
Whedon, who came on board the project in March 2005, was paid $2 million to $3 million to develop and write the adaptation, which Joel Silver is producing. He also was attached to direct. His involvement had looked like it would finally move the project forward. Whedon, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was seen as someone who could crack the challenge of making a female superhero movie work, especially one that involved a magic lasso, bullet-deflecting bracelets, an invisible jet and a bathing suit-like costume.
"The worst thing that can happen in this scenario is that the studio just keeps hammering out changes and the writer falls into a horrible limbo of development," Whedon wrote. "(Warners and Silver) had the clarity and grace to skip that part. So I'm a free man."
Whedon still has plenty to keep him occupied. He is working on "Goners," a thriller he is attached to direct for Universal Pictures; will be taking over writing chores on "Runaways," a comic series about super-powered teens, for Marvel Comics; and is overseeing a new story line of "Buffy" for Dark Horse Comics.
As I said, Whedon certainly seemed like the right guy, to guide WW to the big screen. It's a shame he won't be around to finish courting her. As for his replacement? How about Frank Darabont? I think he would do justice to the material much the way Joss would have.
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