Earlier this month, news surfaced of WarnerMedia launching an investigation into Joss Whedon’s treatment of actors on the set of Justice League. Now, the studio says Ray Fisher — the actor who first brought the situation to light on his Twitter profile — isn’t cooperating with the studio during its investigation.
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Warner’s statement (via TheWrap) details a Fisher frustrated with how his character was written in the Ezra Miller-starring Flash movie currently in development. Furthermore, the studio says after hiring the private investigator Fisher recommended, the actor has failed to meet with them to provide a “credible allegation of misconduct.”
“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,” the statement reads.
It adds, “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.”
The statement was a direct response to a tweet Fisher made Friday afternoon, accusing DC Films head Walter Hamada of wanting to through Whedon and producer Jon Berg “under the bus” if the actor would “relent” on writer/producer Geoff Johns. Fisher has publicly accused all three of gross misconduct while working on Justice League.
So you can better understand how deep this goes:
After speaking out about Justice League, I received a phone call from the President of DC Films wherein he attempted to throw Joss Whedon and Jon Berg under the bus in hopes that I would relent on Geoff Johns.
I will not.
A>E
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) September 4, 2020
“After speaking out about Justice League, I received a phone call from the President of DC Films wherein he attempted to throw Joss Whedon and Jon Berg under the bus in hopes that I would relent on Geoff Johns,” Fisher tweeted. Johns has been a long-time writer of DC Comics and has worked on several live-action properties for the company.
Warner’s full statement can be read 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.
Justice League is now streaming on HBO Max.
