Ray Fisher confirmed that he was removed from the Warner Bros. cast. ‘”The Flash” and will not repeat his role as Cyborg in the comic book movie.
“I totally disagree with their decision, but it’s not surprising,” says Fisher at the beginning of a two page posting, published on Wednesday night.
“Despite the misunderstanding, Cyborg’s involvement in ‘The Flash’ was much greater than a cameo,” continues Fisher. “And while I regret the missed opportunity to bring [Cyborg alter-ego] Victor Stone back on screen, bringing awareness to the actions of [DC Films head] Walter Hamada will prove to be a much more important contribution to our world. “
WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., contested Fisher’s claims that she ousted him, noting that he had publicly refused to work with Hamada.
“Last summer, Mr. Fisher had the opportunity to repeat his role as Cyborg in ‘The Flash’,” WarnerMedia said in a statement. “Given his declaration that he will not participate in any film associated with Mr. Hamada, our production is advancing.”
WarnerMedia also denied that it separated from Geoff Johns, the former DC chief and producer, who Fisher claimed was leaving the company after his investigation into the actor’s allegations of misconduct in the “Justice League”,
“Warner Bros. remains in business with Geoff Johns, who continues to produce ‘Stargirl,’ ‘Batwoman’, ‘Doom Patrol’, ‘Superman & Lois’ and ‘Titans’ for the studio, among other projects, ”added the studio.
News of Fisher’s official departure from the next film in the extended DC universe comes as part of a back-and-forth between the actor and the studio, after an investigation into Fisher’s allegations of misconduct on the set of the co-writer of “Justice League ”Joss Whedon and the“ enabling ”behavior of writer and producer Geoff Johns and producer Jon Berg were launched in August 2020.
Throughout the investigation and ever since, Fisher has been consistently talking about his claims through social media. In this latest post, Fisher reiterated Johns’ allegations of misconduct and accused Hamada of protecting Johns and Whedon by making it difficult for the studio to investigate his allegations.
Hamada was not responsible for DC Films during the production of “Justice League”. He took over in January 2018, two months after “Justice League” exploded at the box office. However, Fisher says that Hamada did not accept his claims that the film’s remakes led by Whedon were fraught with mistreatment. Whedon took over the director’s chair after original filmmaker Zack Snyder left production due to the death of his daughter.
Ann Sarnoff, president and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, defended Hamada.
“I believe in Walter Hamada and that he did not prevent or interfere with the investigation,” said Sarnoff in a statement. “Furthermore, I have complete confidence in the process and the conclusions of the investigation. Walter is a respected leader, known to his colleagues, colleagues and me as a man of great character and integrity. As I said in Walter’s recent extension announcement, I’m excited about the path he’s taking to DC Films and looking forward to working with him and the rest of the team to build DC Multiverse. ”
The investigation into Fisher’s allegations ended in December, with Warners issuing a statement, saying: “WarnerMedia’s investigation into the ‘Justice League’ film has been completed and corrective measures have been taken.” On Thursday morning, WarnerMedia reiterated that message.
“As stated earlier, an extensive investigation was conducted by an outside law firm, led by a former federal judge who assured WarnerMedia that there were no impediments to the investigation,” the statement said.
Fisher is not backing down from his claims. On social media, he offered to “undergo a polygraph test to support my allegations against [Hamada]. Fisher finished his statement, writing, “If the end of my time as Cyborg is the cost to help bring awareness and responsibility to Walter Hamada’s actions – I will pay with pleasure”, singing with his slogan “A> E” (which means “responsibility> entertainment”).
Although Fisher does not appear in “The Flash”, the actor has already completed work on “Justice League” Snyder Cut, which is due to be released on HBO Max in March. His role in “Snyder Cut” is considered to be much more substantial than in the theatrical version of “Justice League”.
Brent Lang contributed to this report.