Ray Fisher Says His Career Was Threatened By DC's Geoff Johns
Ray Fisher says that DC executive Geoff Johns threatened his career during the Justice League reshoots. Fisher made his first appearance as Cyborg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it was the big team-up movie where Victor Stone was slated to take center stage. In initial versions of the film, Snyder and Fisher agreed that Cyborg was the heart of the film. Although this version of the film was seen with Zack Snyder's Justice League, the theatrical cut of the film severely reduced Fisher's role and Fisher alleges that this was part of a larger effort to minimize his impact in the film.
Fisher detailed this and other allegations when he came forward in the summer of 2020 alleging that Joss Whedon's on-set behavior during the reshoots was extremely unprofessional. His co-stars, Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa, came forward to support Fisher as he advocated for an investigation into the incidences. Fisher also says this was part of a larger cover-up at the studio that saw DC president Walter Hamada attempt to cover for former DC executive Geoff Johns.
In a new report from THR expanding on the public comments Fisher has made over the last year, Fisher revealed that Johns reportedly threatened his career when he became outspoken about his treatment during the reshoots. Fisher alleges that this happened after his agent reached out to Warner studios chief Toby Emmerich about his treatment, prompting Johns to ask Fisher if he wanted to make "a bad name for [himself] in the business." Fisher took this as a threat.
Fisher has alleged that Warner Media has conducted a smear campaign against him to paint him in a specific light that undermines what he is fighting for in this situation. The fight seems to have cost him a lot - Fisher will no longer star in The Flash - but the actor has made it clear that it is worth losing a job if he is able to shine a light on the issues at hand. Despite his future being unclear in the DCEU, though, Fisher's career is far from over.
The actor has appeared in True Detective as Mahershala Ali's son and garnered acclaim for his role. He will also take on a main role in the upcoming Women of the Movement series. It also seems like Fisher's career wasn't the only one that was threatened during the Justice League debacle. Whedon allegedly threatened Gadot's career during an on-set dispute, illustrating the clear power dynamics at play between the rising stars of the DCEU at the time and the powerful executives behind the films they were a part of.
Source: THR