“It all starts with an apology.” Ray Fisher asserts he won’t reprise the Cyborg role or support any productions of Walter Hamada until the DC boss and Warner Bros. issue an apology for their “unacceptable” response to the Justice League investigation. Last July, Fisher tweeted about alleged misconduct during Justice League‘s 2017 reshoots when he accused replacement director Joss Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” on-set behavior towards the cast and crew of the superhero ensemble. The Cyborg actor further claimed that Whedon was “enabled, in many ways,” by Justice League producers and then-DC Films executives Geoff Johns and Jon Berg.
Weeks later, Fisher revealed Warner Bros. and DC Films parent company WarnerMedia launched an independent third-party investigation to “get to the heart of the toxic and abusive work environment created during Justice League reshoots,” which occurred after original director Zack Snyder stepped away to deal with a family tragedy. Fisher tweeted again on September 4, claiming that Hamada in a phone call “attempted to throw Joss Whedon and Jon Berg under the bus” in hopes the actor would “relent” on former DC Chief Creative Officer Johns.
Fisher later called Hamada, who was appointed president of DC Films in 2018 and was not involved with the production of Justice League, the “most dangerous kind of enabler” when he tweeted that the President of DC production “sought to undermine the very real issues of the Justice League investigation,” adding: “I will not participate in any production associated with him.” That includes The Flash movie, which once had Cyborg returning in a role that Fisher says was “much larger than a cameo.”
The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League actor reaffirmed that stance during a panel at MEGACON Orlando over the weekend, where Fisher was asked during a fan Q&A what it would take for him to reprise the Cyborg role in the DC Extended Universe:
“That’s a complicated question. I think, ultimately, how people spend their money determines what happens and what does not happen in this business, and particularly in comic books and DC,” said Fisher, wearing his trademarked “Borg Life” t-shirt, referring to his half-man, half-machine hero. “For me, there’s a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Obviously, I’ve not been shy about talking about all of the things that have occurred over the last year, the back and forth that I’ve had personally and publicly with Warner Bros. Pictures, Walter Hamada, and the rest of the crew over there.”
Fisher briefly reprised the Cyborg role for the first time since 2017 when he reunited with Snyder for a short round of additional photography on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the long-fabled Snyder Cut finally released as a four-hour director’s cut on HBO Max earlier this year. In March, Fisher said he’s not “opposed” to reprising Cyborg but noted “there are other things that need to be addressed” before he plays Victor Stone in another DC production.
“For me, I think it all starts with an apology coming from the Warner Bros. side of things. There’s a lot of really gnarly stuff that has gone down, especially publicly,” Fisher said when expanding on that point at MEGACON Orlando. “What Walter Hamada and Warner Bros. Pictures attempted to do, professionally and personally, during one of the most crucial years for Black people in the history of really humanity, is just unacceptable.”
Fisher has been outspoken about Hamada’s alleged “attempt” to interfere with the Justice League investigation, tweeting this past February: “Do ya’ll remember that time Walter Hamada and @wbpictures tried to destroy a Black man’s credibility, and publicly delegitimize a very serious investigation, with lies in the press?”
“So until such time an apology is issued,” Fisher asserted, “I definitely will not be supporting any Walter Hamada productions, period. And it’s a tough thing because I’m a DC fan through and through. I love these characters, but sometimes you gotta give up what you love to do what’s right.”
The Flash, which reunites Justice League co-stars Ezra Miller and Ben Affleck opposite DCEU newcomers Sasha Calle as Supergirl and Michael Keaton as an alternate-universe Batman, is now filming for a November 4, 2022 release in theaters.
Photo credit: Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
