Ray Fisher not cooperating in Warner Bros. misconduct investigation against director Joss Whedon

Justice League star Ray Fisher aired his grievances against director Joss Whedon back in July, accusing him of ‘abusive and unprofessional’ behavior.

And the Cyborg actor’s claims have since caused Warner Bros. to launch a misconduct investigation into Whedon and producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. 

But according to a statement recently released by the studio, Fisher has not been cooperating with an independent third party investigator, who was hired at his request.

A spokesperson for the studio wrote: ‘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.’

The statement was released just hours after Fisher took to Twitter with an update for his 63.7K followers. 

He wrote: ‘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’

Fisher first raised concerns over Whedon on June 29, posting a video to Twitter of himself previously singing the director’s praises, writing: ‘I’d like to take a moment to forcefully retract every bit of this statement.’

Whedon stepped in to finish the superhero film in 2016, after director Zack Snyder was called away over a family emergency. 

Fisher followed it up on July 1, tweeting: ‘Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Accountability>Entertainment’ 

The Baltimore-born actor revealed last month on Twitter that the studio had launched an independent investigation after ‘five weeks of interviews’ with cast and crew.  

He starred as Cyborg in 2016’s film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as the 2017 followup Justice League, and he’s contracted to appear in future titles, including a solo Cyborg film.

Meanwhile, Snyder’s much-hyped cut of Justice League will premiere some time in 2021 on the new streaming service HBO Max.