The official announcement of the Snyder Cut and the subsequent release of an impressive full-length trailer wasn’t the only big news to come out of Justice League in recent months, as Cyborg star Ray Fisher also levelled some pretty serious accusations at director Joss Whedon. After calling him out for his “gross and abusive” behavior, several other previous collaborators also came forward with their own experiences of working with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator.
The filmmaker never publicly commented on the allegations, but Fisher didn’t back down and essentially invited legal action from Whedon’s representatives if they could prove that what he was saying wasn’t true. Although there were reports that the 32 year-old might end up in hot water himself for breaking a non-disclosure agreement in his contract, the actor continued to make it known that he would talk about the matter publicly until it was resolved.
This eventually led to Warner Bros. launching a full-scale investigation into what happened on the set of Justice League once Zack Snyder had departed, and the studio have now released a statement officially denying Fisher’s claims, which you can read in full below.
“In July, Ray Fisher’s representatives asked DC Films President Walter Hamada to talk to Mr. Fisher about his concerns during the production of Justice League. The two had previously spoken when Mr. Hamada asked him to reprise his role as Cyborg in Warner Bros.’ upcoming Flash movie, together with other members of the Justice League. In their July conversation, Mr. Fisher recounted disagreements he’d had with the film’s creative team regarding his portrayal of Cyborg, and complained that his suggested script revisions were not adopted.
Mr. Hamada explained that creative differences are a normal part of the production process, and that a film’s writer/director ultimately has to be in charge of these matters. Notably, Mr. Hamada also told Mr. Fisher that he would elevate his concerns to WarnerMedia so they could conduct an investigation. At no time did Mr. Hamada ever ‘throw anyone under the bus’, as Mr. Fisher has falsely claimed, or render any judgments about the Justice League production, in which Mr. Hamada had no involvement, since filming occurred before Mr. Hamada was elevated to his current position.
While Mr. Fisher never alleged any actionable misconduct against him, WarnerMedia nonetheless initiated an investigation into the concerns he’d raised about his character’s portrayal. Still not satisfied, Mr. Fisher insisted that WarnerMedia hire an independent third party investigator. This investigator has attempted multiple times to meet with Mr. Fisher to discuss his concerns but, to date, Mr. Fisher has declined to speak to the investigator. Warner Bros. remains committed to accountability and to the well-being of every cast and crew member on each of its productions. It also remains committed to investigating any specific and credible allegation of misconduct, which thus far Mr. Fisher has failed to provide.”
There’s every chance that Fisher isn’t going to take this lying down, but in the long run, it could end up having a huge impact on his career, especially now that his accusations have been denied. Having recently agreed to reprise the role of Cyborg in The Flash, there are bound to be some tensions when he turns up on set in close proximity to several of the people he directly mentioned by name, while there’s also the possibility that they could end up dropping him from the movie entirely after all this.
