Story crumbled in my hands: Joss Whedon on his exit from 'Batgirl' project

Joss Whedon has opened up about his exit from the yet-untitled "Batgirl" project of Warner Bros and DC Entertainment.

Whedon, who played an instrumental role in setting up "The Avengers" and its follow-up "Avengers: Age of Ultron" for Marvel, said the story of "Batgirl" "crumbled in my hands" as he could not put its elements together.

"It had been a year since I first pitched the story and a lot happened in that year. I felt some of the elements might not work as well, and the story kind of just crumbled in my hands," Whedon told Variety at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War".

"There were elements I hadn't mastered and after a long time felt like I wasn't going to. So, I told people I didn't have an idea, which isn't the exact truth. I had an idea that didn't fit in the space that was left for it. It was a little heart-breaking because I was so excited about it," he added.

Whedon, 53, also addressed the criticism of his old "Wonder Woman" script, which he wrote in 2006 and was leaked online recently , for its sexist portrayal of the beloved character.

"I don't know which parts people didn't like, but I went and re-read the script after I heard there was a backlash. I think it's great. People say that it's not woke enough, but they're not looking at the whole picture," he said.

He said he was not "the most woke individual who ever lived at that time 10 years ago".

"I was in there swinging and the movie has integrity and the characters have integrity and I stand by it," he added.