Warner Bros. Responds to ‘Justice League’ Star Ray Fisher’s Claims of Abusive Conduct
Update: Ray Fisher has responded to Warner Bros.‘ statement via Twitter, refuting claims that he didn’t cooperate with the WarnerMedia investigation. “Thank you all for the support and for seeing through @wbpictures desperate and scattershot attempt to discredit me to continue protecting those in power,” he wrote. “I met with the investigator via Zoom on Aug 26th.” See the tweet below.
Earlier: After launching an investigation into “Justice League” star Ray Fisher’s claims that director Joss Whedon and producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg “grossly abused their power” on set, Warner Bros. issued a statement on Friday. Fisher first made accusations against Whedon, who helmed reshoots and post-production on the DC tentpole, back in July. He tweeted that Whedon’s “on-set treatment of the cast and crew of ‘Justice League’ was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” and that Johns and Berg enabled their collaborator.
On Friday ahead of the Warners statement, Fisher tweeted, “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.”
In the statement, Warners asserted that DC President Walter Hamada did not attempt to “throw anyone under the bus,” or “render any judgments in the ‘Justice League’ production.” Fisher played Cyborg in the DC movie. Warners also said Hamada wasn’t involved in the project once filming began.
The Warner Bros. statement reads as follows: “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.”
Thank you all for the support and for seeing through @wbpictures desperate and scattershot attempt to discredit me to continue protecting those in power.
I met with the investigator via Zoom on Aug 26th. Below is an email I sent to my team and @sagaftra immediately after:
1/2 pic.twitter.com/TWTHv68G9Q
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) September 5, 2020
