Following actor Ray Fisher's very serious accusations regarding on-set misconduct against Justice League replacement director Joss Whedon and producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns earlier this summer, Warner Bros. announced their intention to launch an independent investigation to look into the matter.
However, things took a nasty turn earlier today when Fisher called out Walter Hamada, the President of DC Films, by tweeting, "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.," and continued to preach his "Accountability > Entertainment" mantra to his 63.7K followers.
This latest development prompted an extremely stern response from Warner Bros., who dropped quite the Friday night shocker by accusing Fisher - who had previously voiced his approval of the investigative team - of not actually cooperating with the third-party investigators who have made multiple requests to speak with him over the past few weeks.
Their statement also seems to imply that Fisher was most upset with how his character's arc changed in the theatrical cut of Justice League, and was not pleased that his suggested script revisions were not taken into serious consideration. While unfortunate, this isn't exactly unprecedented in Hollywood where directors, writers and producers understandably get final say. It's likely this may have resulted in the deterioration of his relationship with Whedon, who was brough in to revamp the movie at the request of WB.
Another factor further complicating matters is that Fisher was also reportedly engaged in early negotiations to reprise his role as Cyborg (along with other Justice Leagers) for Andy Muschietti's The Flash, but his status now remains uncertain as he and Hamada haven't spoken since July.
While it's unclear whether those talks will now resume, one thing we do know for sure is that this situation is about to get a whole lost messier for both sides.
Read Warner Bros. full statement 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.