【occult eroticism】

Joss Whedon told Hollywood Reporter that he was stepping down as the writer/director of DC's upcoming Batgirlmovie because he "really didn't have occult eroticisma story" to tell with it.

But you know who doeshave lots and lots of Batgirlstories to tell? Uh... women. Who were girls once. And have experience with that kinda thing.

Whedon had been struggling to come up with a story that could stand up to the kind of empowerment narrative embedded into Wonder Woman. Then Wonder Woman actuallycame out, turned into a cultural phenomenon, and earned the biggest box office and critical praise for DC.

Suddenly DC realized there might be something to this whole "women telling women's stories" thing, what with Wonder Womanas the first blockbuster superhero movie lead by women, with Gal Gadot as the star and director Patty Jenkins behind the camera.

Indeed, Varietyreported that Whedon's decision to leave Batgirl"was a mutual one and reflects the studio’s desire to seek more female directors — particularly on projects centered on female characters."

Hell yeah — now we're talking.

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Almost immediately after the news of Whedon's departure hit, women started piping up on Twitter to graciously offer their services to DC Comics.

New York Timesbestselling author Roxane Gay, who also wrote the recent World of Wakandacomic, is ready to go:

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You know who else could really easily find a Batgirlstory to tell? Writer, graphic novelist, and illustrator Hope Larson, who already wrote a beloved 2016 run of the comic books:

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Others quickly stepped in to suggest Gail Simone, best known for penning Birds of Prey,who also garnered high praise from fans after taking up the Batgirlmantle in 2011:

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In terms of directors, there's no shortage of women to pick, either. Patty Jenkins is probably busy with the next Wonder Woman, so we don't have to pressure her into saving yet another DC property from irrelevance.

But people suggested Michelle MacLaren, who was initially rumored to be the Wonder Womandirector before Jenkins took over. Though it's not a prerequisite, MacLaren has tonsof experience on big-budget projects with huge worlds and fan bases, having directed episodes of The X-Files, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, andWestworld.

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Then, of course, there's Dee Rees, who wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated and award-winning Mudbound. It just releasedin November 2017, so she might be available to lend her talents to the DC universe:

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Others added Anna Biller to their wishlist; she directed the incredible, 2016 sleeper-hitLove Witch. We cannot even begin to imagine what kind of wonderfully joyous panache she'd add to the mix:

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The list of possibilities goes on and on and on. And, honestly, we commend both Joss Whedon and DC for realizing it's time we started letting marginalized people tell their own stories in Hollywood.

We're sure the overwhelming success ofWonder Womanand nowBlack Panther — another movie where a black director and and all-black cast got to tell their own story — played a role in that realization.

Because if there's one thing Hollywood listens to, it's money.

And despite the decades-old myth that neither women nor people of color could helm successful blockbusters, they now appear to be the surest bet for making a hit.