Ray Fisher Alleges Joss Whedon’s HBO Exit Because of Justice League Investigation

Earlier today came the surprise announcement that TV creator Joss Whedon was exiting his new series The Nevers, his first original television series that he was to be regularly involved with since Dollhouse. Ordered by WarnerMedia for HBO, Whedon revealed that he is exiting the series due to the “level of commitment” and “physical challenges” that would be required to make the show amid the ongoing COVID0-19 pandemic. Whedon also said he is stepping away to “martial [his] energy” towards his personal life. Justice League star Ray Fisher, who previously referred to Whedon’s treatment of the cast and crew on that film’s reshoots as “Gross, Abusive And Unprofessional,” alleges it’s for a different reason.

“I have no intention of allowing Joss Whedon to use the old Hollywood tactic of “exiting”, “stepping down”, or “walking away” to cover for his terrible behavior,” Fisher wrote on Twitter. “WarnerMedia’s JL investigation has been in full swing for over 3 weeks now. This is undoubtedly a result of it.” As usual Fisher concluded his tweets with the sign-off “A>E,” meaning “Accountability over Entertainment,” which he’s been using with frequency since speaking out about his experience.

Fisher’s public outing of the his personal treatment by Whedon on the Justice League reshoots came earlier this year, along with similar revelations about DC’s Geoff Johns. Since then it has turned into a very public affair as the studio and Fisher have released statements about the progress, or lack thereof, into the official probe of what occurred. The actor’s revelation that the “investigation has been in full swing for over 3 weeks now” is news though, and the sudden departure of Whedon from his series is certainly suspect.

The Nevers, which was first announced to be in the works in 2018, is currently targeting a 2021 release date on HBO. It’s unclear when it’s release how much of Whedon’s name will remain on the credits, but it seems likely that he’ll still be credited as creator and executive producer even on episodes that he had nothing to do with. The series stars Laura Donnelly, Ann Skelly, James Norton, Tom Riley, Ben Chaplin, Pip Torrens, Zackary Momoh, Amy Manson, Rochelle Neil, Eleanor Tomlinson, Denis O’Hare, and Nick Frost.

(Cover photo by Warner Bros / Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)