Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for January 14
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Ray Fisher confirmed that his character, Cyborg, was removed from the upcoming DC Comics movie about The Flash.
Fisher played Cyborg in the 2017 film "Justice League" and was expected to reprise his role again in a standalone movie focused on Ezra Miller’s Flash. However, after months of feuding with WarnerMedia bosses over alleged mistreatment by director Joss Whedon and other executives, Fisher declared on Twitter that he would not work with DC films president Walter Hamada ever again.
Despite his bold words, Fisher noted that he disagreed with the decision to remove him from the untitled The Flash movie.
"I have received official confirmation that Warner Bros. Pictures has decided to remove me from the cast of The Flash," he wrote in a lengthy statement Wednesday. "I strongly disagree with their decision, but it is one that is unsurprising."
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In June of 2020, Fisher called out Whedon, who was brought in to handle reshoots on "Justice League" after Zack Snyder was forced to bow out of post-production. Fisher called Whedon's on-set treatment of cast and crew "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable."
In August, WarnerMedia announced it was launching a third-party investigation into Fisher’s claims of unprofessional behavior, which now included producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, who acted as co-presidents of Warners’ division of DC Films.
In December, WarnerMedia announced that it had concluded its investigation and noted that "remedial action" was taken. However, it would not elaborate on what that action was.
In his latest rebuke of the studio bosses, Fisher claims that Hamada hampered the investigation in an effort to protect Johns while throwing Whedon and Berg under the bus.
Ray Fisher confirmed that he will not appear in the s tandalone movie about The Flash for DC. (Rick Kern/WireImage)
Fisher says that he spoke for almost an hour on the phone with Hamada in July of 2020 to convince him that Johns was a major contributor to the negative experience he had reshooting "Justice League" but says the studio boss did everything he could to cover for Johns despite his allegations of "blatant racism."
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"Despite Walter’s best efforts, the Justice League investigation was able to expose the racist, coercive, discriminatory, and retaliatory behavior of Geoff Johns during his tenure with WarnerMedia’s affiliates. It also led to the more immediate parting of ways between WarnerMedia and Joss Whedon," Fisher wrote in his lengthy Twitter statement. "While it by may legally and financially safer to quietly phase Geoff Johns out, or to let Joss Whedon ‘exit’ of his own accord — I share neither of those responsibilities."
The star went on to say that what he experienced should not have happened and that it exposes the current "cover-up culture of Hollywood."
"I maintain that Walter Hamada is unfit for a position of leadership — and I am willing, at any point, to submit to a polygraph test to support my claims against him," Fisher wrote. "I don’t know how many instances of workplace abuse Walter has attempted to cover in the past, but hopefully the Justice League investigation will be the last."
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He concluded by saying that he’ll gladly pay the price of never reprising the Cyborg character again if it means exposing Hamada’s actions.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter Thursday, WarnerMedia chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff backed Hamada in the fray.
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"I believe in Walter Hamada and that he did not impede or interfere in the investigation," she said. "Furthermore, I have full confidence in the investigation’s process and findings. Walter is a well-respected leader, known by his colleagues, peers, and me as a man of great character and integrity. As I said in Walter's recent deal extension announcement, I’m excited about where he’s taking DC Films and look forward to working with him and the rest of the team to build out the DC Multiverse."
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