Several hours after Fisher’s tweet, WarnerMedia shared a statement from a retired federal judge who oversaw one of three investigations into misconduct on the set of Justice League. This is the first time that an investigator has spoken publicly on the subject.
“I am disappointed by the continuing public statements made suggesting that Walter Hamada interfered in any way with the Justice League investigation. He did not, “said investigator and former federal judge Katherine B. Forrest in a statement.” I interviewed him extensively on more than one occasion and specifically interviewed him about his very limited interaction with Fisher. I found Mr. Hamada to be reliable and accessible. I concluded that he did nothing to prevent or interfere with the investigation. On the contrary, the information you provided was useful and advanced the investigation. “
In its own statement, WarnerMedia supported Hamada, as it has done in the past.
“Again, there are false statements being made about our executives and our company around the recent Justice League investigation, “read WarnerMedia’s statement.” As stated earlier, an extensive and thorough third party investigation was conducted. Our executives, including Walter Hamada, cooperated fully, no evidence of any interference was found, and Warner Bros. did not lie in the press. It is time to stop saying the opposite and move forward productively. “
Hamada, who rose through the ranks as a New Line executive, was not involved in the Justice Leagueand went on to oversee the DC Extended Universe in early 2018, when he took over as president of DC Films. However, Fisher accused the executive for several months of trying to interfere in the investigation.
On December 11, 2020, WarnerMedia completed an investigation into allegations of misconduct in the set of Justice League, taking corrective measures.
The investigation came after a July 1, 2020 tweet in which Fisher claimed on Twitter that Joss Whedon had been abusive on the set of Justice League, the 2017 film he replaced from original director Zack Snyder. The actor also said that producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg made Whedon’s alleged behavior possible. Berg publicly denied any wrongdoing, while Whedon and Johns remained silent. Johns continues to do business with Warners as a producer of Stargirl, Bat Woman, Doom Patrol, Superman and Lois and Titans.
WarnerMedia opened an investigation into the allegations, but on September 4, Warner Bros. released a statement alleging that Fisher was not cooperating with the third-party investigators investigating these allegations. Fisher denied this in a statement of his own. Fisher’s Justice League co-star Jason Momoa – who has both Dune it is a Aquaman sequence spent with the studio – publicly supported by Fisher in a violent September 14 statement addressed to Warners.
On November 24, Joss Whedon announced that he was stepping down from The Nevers, a series in which he was working with WarnerMedia’s HBO, saying in a statement: “I am genuinely exhausted and I am going back to martializing my energy towards my own life, which is also on the verge of an exciting change.”
The exchange between WarnerMedia and Fisher takes place just weeks before Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max. This four-hour film, which Fisher shot new material four, is the culmination of filmmaker Snyder’s vision for Justice League, from which he originally stepped down in 2017 after a family tragedy.
After WarnerMedia released its statement, Fisher wrote on Twitter, “As I said from the start: Walter Hamada TRIED to interfere in JL’s investigation. He was unsuccessful in doing so because I did not allow it. The investigator making a statement claiming that there was no interference is purposefully misleading and desperate.”
February 27, 1:55 pm Updated with Ray Fisher’s tweet in response to WarnerMedia’s statement.