Before 'Avengers' Megahits, Director Joss Whedon Lost Bids To Make Batman, Wonder Woman Films

Long before the success of his “Avengers” movies, writer-director Joss Whedon had planned to work on Batman and Wonder Woman movies. A new report explains why he had to shelve those projects.

The “Batman” movies by Christopher Nolan went on to become huge box office hits. According to a report by Business Insider, Whedon was busy working on a script for the Caped Crusader long before Nolan’s "Batman Begins," his first movie of the character, hit the movie theaters in 2005.

According to the report, Whedon put his “heart” into the project and pitched the idea to executives at Warner Bros. studios. The executive that he spoke to apparently was interested only in the studio’s schedule and Whedon felt as if he were “talking to a wall” to get his film made. His project ultimately was not approved.

The main plot of Whedon's "Batman" script revolved around a young Bruce Wayne protecting a girl from being bullied in an alley that was similar to scene where Wayne’s parents were murdered. The incident made the boy realize that he can do something to protect innocent people from criminals.

Whedon’s “Batman” movie is said to have had a new villain that was not seen before. The report describes the villain as a “Hannibal Lecter”-type of person who was in Arkham Asylum. The director reportedly hopes to still use this story in a comic some day. [Hannibal Lecter was the villain in Jonathan Demme's 1991 film "Silence of the Lambs."]

Whedon also was working on a “Wonder Woman” script. The director reportedly began writing the outline in 2005. He is said to have quit the project in 2007 after executives at Warner Bros. didn’t like it. “The lack of enthusiasm was overwhelming,” the director reportedly said.

The characters Bruce Wayne and Wonder Woman will be featured in the forthcoming movie “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The movie is directed by Zack Snyder and according to a report by Forbes, the shifting of the release date of “Beverly Hills Cop IV” means that the movie will be released “utterly unopposed” in its opening weekend. The movie is slated to be released March 25, 2016 in the U.S.