Warner Bros. Hits Back at Ray Fisher, Says ‘Justice League’ Star Won’t Cooperate With Investigators

Matt Donnelly
Updated ·3 min read
Warner Bros. Hits Back at Ray Fisher, Says ‘Justice League’ Star Won’t Cooperate With Investigators

Warner Bros. Pictures is out for some justice of its own.

The studio has responded to Friday claims from “Justice League” actor Ray Fisher, specifically regarding the conduct of the top executive at their DC Films unit and the efficiency of their internal investigation into the 2017 superhero film in which Fisher starred.

The WarnerMedia-owned shop is flatly denying Fisher’s claims that DC Films chief Walter Hamada attempted to play filmmakers off of one another to assuage the actor’s problems with the representation of his character, Cyborg — who fights alongside Batman, Wonder Woman and others. Moreso, the studio say Fisher has not cooperated with the investigation they launched at his behest.

The response was sparked by a Friday tweet from Fisher, which involved ongoing accusations he’s made against “Justice League” pinch-hitter director Joss Whedon, and film producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Earlier this summer, Fisher accused Whedon of emotional behavior on set. On Friday, he accused Hamada of pinning his own concerns on Whedon and Berg alone.

“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,” Fisher said. “I will not.”

Read the full response sent by a Warner Bros. spokesperson:

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.

More from Variety

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.