Bad news, everyone. Well, at least for everyone who is going to be attending San Diego Comic-Con. Joss Whedon, one of the most important figures in the world of fandom, won’t be attending the event this year. Granted, it is for good reason, since he is currently busy handling the reshoots onJustice League, but it still serves as a bummer for those in attendance that Warner Bros. wasn’t able to arrange for him to make an appearance at the convention.
The news comes courtesy ofAn Englishman in San Diego, who got confirmation from Joss Whedon directly that he won’t be making it to SDCC 2017. Their contributor Mark Searby ran intoJoss Whedonon the street in the U.K. and, when asked about whether or not he will be in attendance at Comic-Con this year, Whedon broke the bad news. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“I won’t be there. Only the second time in twenty years I won’t make it.”
Even before Hollywood managed to essentially take over San Diego Comic-Con a little more than a decade ago, Joss Whedon was a huge part of the event. Dating back to his TV days, working on shows likeBuffy the Vampire SlayerandAngel, he was very much connected to the fans. Not to mention his work as a comic book writer. Many consider hisAstonishing X-Menrun to be among the best in the history of theX-Men, which is no small feat. He also scored a huge hit, at least with fans, with the short-lived sci-fi seriesFirefly, which originally aired in 2002, just as Hollywood was really starting to make a big impact at SDCC.
Joss Whedon wound up making a big leap when Marvel Studios tapped him to helmThe Avengers, which was released in 2012. He followed that up withAvengers: Age of Ultron, so he has been a major figure at SDCC in recent years. Warner Bros. recently hired him to write and direct aBatgirlmovie as part of the DCEU, which would give him one very good reason to be there this year.Zack Snyderalso recently had to leave the director’s chair onJustice Leaguefollowing a personal tragedy, leavingJoss Whedon to step in and finish up the movie. Since that is thenext DCEU movieWarner Bros. has slated for release, they would probably love to have Whedon there. But it is more important for him to finishJustice League, so it is with good reason that he isn’t going.
Even though Joss Whedon won’t actually be at San Diego Comic-Con this year, his presence will still be felt. With aJustice League trailer expected to dropand with Warner Bros. doing a big presentation, his name will come up. Maybe he can record a little message for those in attendance? In any case, those heading to SDCC this year won’t be able to have him sign anyFireflyposters orBuffybox sets.
