Is Ray Fisher officially done starring as Cyborg in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)?
While that is still up in the air, the 33-year-old actor has firmly put his foot down, declaring that he won’t work on any future films associated with DC Films President Walter Hamada.
This announcement suggests that Ray will probably end his tenure as the half-machine, half-human DC superhero. However, viewers will still get to see him in Zack Snyder’s four-hour director’s cut of “Justice League” on HBO Max in 2021.
Earlier this morning, the actor tweeted, “Walter Hamada is the most dangerous kind of enabler. He lies, and WB PR’s failed Sept. 4th hit-piece, sought to undermine the very real issues of the ‘Justice League’ investigation. I will not participate in any production associated with him.”
The public was initially made aware of this controversy when Ray accused director Joss Whedon together with producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of misconduct during the shooting of “Justice League”. On 11th December, WarnerMedia released a statement confirming that investigation was concluded and “remedial action” had been taken towards the trio. Details on the ramifications were not disclosed.
What Ray Fisher said.
In speaking to Forbes, accused Joss Whedon of not only exhibiting “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behaviour but also attempted to digitally alter his colour skin tone in the film. Then-DC Films President Geoff Johns and producer Jon Berg apparently allowed this behaviour to continue. Unfortunately, things did not improve when Walter Hamada became DC Films president in 2018.
“Walter Hamada chose to insert himself into this situation by trying to throw Joss Whedon and Jon Berg under the bus to protect Geoff Johns. He has a long-standing work relationship with Johns and an even longer one with Toby [Emmerich] from their time together at New Line. (New Line is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.) Emmerich made Hamada the president of DC Films and Johns is providing content for Hamada to produce. It stands to reason that he would have a vested interest in trying to protect both of them,” he said.
Warner Bros.’ released a statement, denying Ray’s claims about Walter Hamada.
“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.”
Ray was supposed to reprise his role as Cyborg in the “Flash” movie – directed by Andy Muschietti (“It”) – but it’s unlikely to happen now.
