Former DC Films president Walter Hamada recently departed Warner Bros. His exit was hinted at in August 2022 by The Hollywood Reporter stating that he considered leaving his position following Batgirl's cancelation. Per the trade, however, he agreed to stay on until at least October 21st—Black Adam's release date. Then, on October 19, Deadline revealed that Hamada had exited the company.
The former studio head was criticized multiple times on social media by Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in 2017's Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League. The actor accused him of interfering with an investigation into alleged misconduct during the filming of the 2017 superhero team-up film.
Now, Fisher has addressed Hamada's departure from the company, stating on Twitter:
"Walter Hamada tried to protect his toxic and discriminatory colleagues. He failed. He tried to bury me (and the 'Justice League' investigation) with lies in the trades. He failed. He is a product of old Hollywood cronyism. May we never experience his like again. Onward! A>E."
Prior to that statement, on October 16, the actor also posted the following about Hamada and DC writer and former DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns on social media:
"Not sure why I'm trending, but this would be a good time to mention: Walter Hamada still owes an apology to the participants of the 'Justice League' investigation. Had he not attempted to cover for Geoff Johns' toxic and discriminatory behavior, we wouldn't be here now."
Fisher's accusations against Hamada reached a heated point in 2021, when, after the actor posted a Twitter message regarding his exit from The Flash, Warner Bros. refuted his claims in its own statement.
Following his exit from DC, Hamada received support from Shazam! screenwriter Henry Gayden on Twitter. Gayden, who also co-wrote the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods, recalled Hamada giving him advice on what became a pivotal plot point in Shazam!
As the writer explained, the executive's input resulted in the scene that saw Billy encounter his biological mother and finding out she didn't want him:
"Screenwriters tend to grouse about studio execs and their notes (sometimes it's deserved), but I always tell this story as an example of how transformative a good note can be, and since [Walter Hamada] left DC today, here it is... In early drafts of 'Shazam!', Billy's parents were dead."
According to Gayden, he had written a scene with Billy Batson finding his parents' gravestones, but Hamada called him to make a suggestion:
"Then, one weekend, out of nowhere, Walt called me up and said, 'What if Billy's mom is still alive but doesn't want him?' My immediate response was: 'No. No way. That's [way] too heavy for a movie this lighthearted.' [...] So, we ended the conversation with him saying, 'Just try writing it. He finds his mom, and she doesn't want him. If it doesn't work, we have the cemetery scene. Try it.' I hung up. All I had was the basic idea. [...] I sat down and tried to write the scene. An hour later, it was my favorite scene in the movie."
Throughout his tenure at Warner Bros., Hamada served as executive producer on DC projects like Shazam!, Joker, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, The Batman and Black Adam.
The latest installment in the DCEU, Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, is currently in theaters.