Today The Hollywood Reporter came out with an article revealing the happenings behind the scenes during the shooting of “Justice League” and the investigation which took place last year. The article provides information received from various sources working behind the scenes as well as people working at Warner Media.
According to Fisher, who plays Cyborg in the film, the issue is no longer about what happened on the set in 2017 after Director Zack Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon, though he’s ready to explain that, too. He had been vocally tweeting about how the executives, namely Geoff Johns, John Berg and director Joss Whedon, had treated him behind the scenes and how the executives in the Warner film studio and then at its parent, WarnerMedia, handled allegations raised by himself and others.
The piece highlights conversations and behavior that Fisher and others deemed to be “racist and inappropriate.” It also explores the involvement of Walter Hamada and how he tried to throw Joss Whedon and John Berg “Under the Bus” to protect Geoff Johns is also discussed. As the article continued it was revealed that Toby Emmerich, Geoff Johns and John Berg didn’t want “an angry young man” being a major part of the film.
From the sounds of things, the early clashes arose when Whedon was making major changes to Snyder’s original script, greatly reducing Cyborg’s role in the story. When reshoots were about to get underway, Fisher said he needed “to explain some of the most basic points of what would be offensive to the Black community” to Whedon, and tried to give “notes to avoid issues in terms of representation of the character.” to which Joss said “It feels like I’m taking notes right now, and I don’t like taking notes from anybody — not even Robert Downey Jr.”
According to Fisher, Joss Whedon made it difficult for actors and was butting heads with the likes of Jeremy Irons (Alfred), Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman). Some sources also said Whedon pushed Gadot to record lines she didn’t like, threatened to harm Gadot’s career and disparaged “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins.
“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,” said one THR source.
rew members who had worked with Geoff Johns came out and expressed how Johns had preconceived notions on how a person would react to the representation of their culture.
The article goes in depth and explains the progress in the investigation and how certain amends were made.
The article ends with Ray Fisher stating “I don’t believe some of these people are fit for positions of leadership. I don’t want them excommunicated from Hollywood, but I don’t think they should be in charge of the hiring and firing of other people.” Fisher knows he’s not going to win that battle, but he feels a point has been made. “If I can’t get accountability,” he says, “at least I can make people aware of who they’re dealing with.”
