Joss Whedon has departed Batgirl. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator was writing and set to direct the live-action feature for 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 told The Hollywood Reporter.

Whedon signed on to the project almost a year ago (see “Joss Whedon to Direct Batgirl Movie”). Sources say that Whedon had some difficulty nailing down a story for the film. The success of Wonder Woman also changed the landscape for women superheroes in film, with industry insiders indicating that male filmmakers may face greater scrutiny when at the helm of films centered such characters.

As the helmer of Marvel’s The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Angel, Dollhouse, and other popular genre properties, Whedon likely won’t have difficulty finding other projects.