It seems not a day goes by that we don't learn new tidbits and reveals surrounding the Joss Whedon cut of Justice League. Weeks after Zack Snyder's restored vision was released to critical and fan acclaim along with a new rallying cry to #RestoreTheSnyderverse, one person is still not content with the outcome of the entire ordeal: Ray Fisher. Despite having his central storyline restored in Snyder's four-hour epic, the Cyborg actor still wants the world to know just how complicated things got between himself, Whedon, Warner Bros, and studio leadership.
In a massive article published in The Hollywood Reporter, Ray Fisher goes into more detail than ever before about what exactly Warner Bros. failed to do as well as new insights into Joss Whedon's behavior that impacted not only himself but Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa as well.
Back in June 2020, Fisher unleashed a tweet that labeled Joss Whedon as someone who exhibited "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior while on the set of Justice League. In time, an investigation into the matter was launched by Warner Bros., though Fisher found the studio's efforts unacceptable. When pressed for further action, Warner Bros. said "remedial action" was taken. However, the studio has yet to say what those actions were, stating the punishment is not meant for public consumption. In fact, a spokesperson told THR that for privacy and legal reasons, "our policy is to not publicly disclose the findings or the results of an investigation."
Meanwhile, Katherine Forrest, a former federal judge who conducted the WarnerMedia probe, says that after interviewing 80 witnesses, she found "no credible support for claims of racial animus" or racial "insensitivity." WarnerMedia then doubled down by saying it "made extraordinary effort to accommodate Mr. Fisher's concerns about the investigation and to ensure its fullness and fairness" and has "complete confidence in the investigation process and [Forrest's] conclusions."
Fast-forward to THR's most recent interview with Fisher, where we find the star laying it all on the line.
"I'm not looking to have any witnesses lose their jobs," says Fisher about why he hasn't named names.
Fisher then goes on to say that he was devastated to hear about the passing of Zack and Deborah Snyder's daughter, Autumn, and understood why they would need to exit the Justice League film. What he was not prepared for, however, was how much his contribution to the movie would change under Joss Whedon's direction. Fisher says that when he met with Whedon at a bar to talk about the changes, Whedon "was tiptoeing around the fact that everything was changing." As the two parted ways, Fisher was handed a script that all but erased his character from the film. Suddenly, Cyborg's backstory was omitted, pivotal scenes that gave the character depth were nixed. Some of those scenes ended up being a part of the Snyder Cut, but the erasure was already done for the theatrical version of the film. "It represents that his parents are two genius-level Black people," Fisher says about the intended vision for the character. "We don't see that every day."
Later, during a meeting about the changes, Fisher says that he tried to offer notes about the cuts to Cyborg's storyline, but all Whedon wanted was praise for his work. "All he was looking for was the fulsome praise," says Fisher. Not to be deterred, he attempted to raise his concerns. Sadly, Fisher says he barely got a few words out before Whedon cut him off. "It feels like I'm taking notes right now, and I don't like taking notes from anybody — not even Robert Downey Jr.," Whedon responded, according to Fisher.
Feeling dejected, Fisher then turned to Geoff Johns but found no support there either. "We can't make Joss mad," was Johns' response, says Fisher. Publicist Howard Bragman, who represents Johns, denies that but says Johns "recalls suggesting that any creative pitches should happen when Joss Whedon was not preoccupied so he would be most receptive."
Fisher's latest tell-all also raises concerns about how Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa were treated while making Justice League. According to a source close to the matter, Gal Gadot had major concerns about how her character was being portrayed in the revised version, including "issues about her character being more aggressive than her character in Wonder Woman. She wanted to make the character flow from one movie to the next."
Perhaps the biggest issue came about when Gadot was forced to record lines she didn't care for. Not to be challenged, Whedon reportedly threatened to hurt her career by talking with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. While Fisher was reluctant to go into too much detail, an investigator on the WarnerMedia case says that after one instance, "Joss was bragging that he's had it out with Gal. He told her he's the writer and she's going to shut up and say the lines and he can make her look incredibly stupid in this movie." This prompted Gadot and Jenkins to meet with then-Warners chairman Kevin Tsujihara. In commenting on the result of the meeting, Gadot said: "I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner."
With so many working parts to this story, my suggestion is to read THR's full report here. It contains some truly damning stuff and will paint a clear picture as to why Whedon has all but disappeared from the face of the Earth. In short, the once sought-after filmmaker has turned into box office poison. Since the Justice League saga began, his name has been stripped off projects he helped create (The Nevers), and fans are in some ways ashamed to support his most beloved properties. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.