When Ray Fisher Tweeted allegations that Joss Whedon had been abusive on the set of “Justice League” back in July, it sparked an internal investigation by Warner Bros., but it seems the story is far from over. For one, Whedon has now responded to the allegations via his lawyer, and Forbes has removed some of Fisher’s quotes for some reason.
The particular quote from Fisher implied that there was racial bias against some of the actors, as Fisher said “Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in postproduction because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone.” That quote was quickly removed from the article, and Forbes added a statement at the top of the piece that said, “This story has been updated from its original version, including the wording of the original headline. Comments have been added from Warner Bros. and representatives for Joss Whedon.”
Though Whedon has been quiet about Fisher’s allegations so far, that particular quote from the Forbes story seems to have prompted a response from the director’s legal team. Speaking anonymously to CinemaBlend, a spokesperson for Whedon said “The individual who offered this statement acknowledged that this was just something that he had heard from someone else and accepted as truth, when in fact simple research would prove that it was false,” the spokesperson said.
“As is standard on almost all films, there were numerous people involved with mixing the final product, including the editor, special effects person, composer, etc. with the senior colorist responsible for the final version’s tone, colors, and mood. This process was further complicated on this project by the fact that Zack shot on film, while Joss shot on digital, which required the team, led by the same senior colorist who has worked on previous films for Zack, to reconcile the two.”
From Fisher’s perspective, the fact that it’s taken this long to get any sort of response from the people he’s called out, like Whedon, says enough. “In a business as notoriously litigious as Hollywood, the fact that I haven’t received so much as a cease and desist letter should tell you something,” Fisher told Forbes. “The people involved know I’m telling the truth. They’re just looking for a way to mitigate blowback for themselves.”