In June, Justice League star Ray Fisher retracted his earlier praise of Joss Whedon and accused the filmmaker of abusive behavior during reshoots on the DC Film. Now, Fisher has shared new details about his issues with Whedon, including the filmmaker's alleged role in the erasure of people of color in the theatrical cut of Justice League.
Whedon joined Justice League while the film was in post-production after Zack Snyder decided to step away from the project following a family tragedy. However, Whedon would be tasked with overseeing extensive reshoots that dramatically altered Snyder's original vision for Justice League. Roughly two years after the DC film debuted in theaters to underwhelming reviews and box office numbers, Snyder announced his edition of Justice League would be released in 2021 on WarnerMedia's streaming service HBO Max.
During an interview with Forbes, Fisher, who portrays Cyborg in the DC Extended Universe franchise, explained why it had taken him until after Snyder's announcement to share his experiences, citing an example of Whedon's alleged racist behavior as one of the primary reasons behind his decision. "What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone," Fisher said. "Man, with everything 2020’s been, that was the tipping point for me." According to Fisher, instances of racism occurred even before Snyder left the project. "Prior to Justice League's reshoot process, blatantly racist conversations were had and entertained—on multiple occasions—by former and current top-level executives at Warner Bros. Pictures," he claimed. "Decision-makers that participated in those racist conversations were Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and current Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich."
Fisher stated that he was not made aware of these conversations until after speaking out against Whedon and that he's since realized the notes he received from Johns during the reshoots were "coded versions" of the racist comments he allegedly made behind closed doors. Fisher added that the new information confirmed his suspicion that race was the reason why actors of color, including Kiersy Clemons and Zheng Kai, had their roles removed from the theatrical cut of Justice League. However, Fisher noted that race was just one of the issues that occurred during reshoots, saying, "there were massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting like you wouldn’t believe."
Fisher's allegations prompted Warner Bros. to launch an investigation into his claims. However, the studio later accused Fisher of failing to cooperate with the third-party investigator they hired, an assertion the actor denies.
Fisher has received support from his Justice League co-star Jason Momoa, who portrays Aquaman, during his public dispute with Warner Bros. In fact, Momoa has gone as far as accusing the studio of releasing false information about him starring in a live-action Frosty the Snowmanas a means of distracting fans from the controversy.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is scheduled to be released on HBO Max in 2021.
Source: Forbes