The rumors, though not unexpected, are true, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” will undergo one week of reshoots in October to help complete what will be a four-hour, four-episode limited series for HBO Max. Snyder exited the “Justice League” in 2017 following a family tragedy. Warner Bros. was forced to resume the film without him and hired Joss Whedon (“The Avengers”), who was already rewriting much of the film and its reshoots at WB’s behest. After a huge fan campaign that lasted over two years, WB allowed him to finish his version of the film as the unofficially title Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”
The reshoots weren’t entirely unexpected given Snyder was never able to complete his version of the film until now and connective tissue was likely needed to sew four episodes together. The reshoots are expected to include Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman for new scenes. Also expected to appear what is expected to be a week- or so- long shoot is Ray Fisher as Cyborg, but of course, his participation gets complicated.
Fisher has been warring with WB for several months now over allegations of misconduct and abuse on the part of Joss Whedon during the “Justice League” reshoots. Fisher’s battle with WB and Whedon began earlier this summer when he retweeted a video of himself praising Whedon at Comic-Con and said he wished to “retract every bit of this statement.” From there, Fisher accused Whedon and “Justice League” producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns of on-set behavior that was “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable.”
Since then, Warner’s launched in a third-party investigation into Fisher’s allegations, but he has been deeply dissatisfied with the investigator’s approach and has been calling the entire process into doubt all summer. WB has claimed Fisher has not cooperated with the process, but he has refuted the claims, and its been a messy stalemate since.
Complicating these matters are not only these reshoots, but Fisher’s appearance as Cyborg in the upcoming “The Flash” movie alongside Ezra Miller. THR says while Cyborg had a bigger part in earlier iterations of the script, the current version that will be directed by Andy Muschietti, only includes three scenes. Negotiations have apparently stalled because Fisher’s reps have countered with an offer that was twice what was originally offered for the three-scene role.
THR also casts some doubt on Fisher’s allegations with sources who speak to the contrary. Not only that, they suggest that Whedon and the “Justice League” producers were under pressure to deliver. This could mean, the onus of any wrongdoing may ultimately fall on WB and not Whedon, Geoff Johns, or any of the producers accused of allegedly problematic behavior.
Insiders recall to THR that the Justice League reshoots conducted by Whedon were a messy and hastily assembled affair. Snyder left the project in May 2017, ahead of a November release date. Whedon had to cram an extensive rewrite and reshoot and take over postproduction. One person present at the reshoots describes a set filled with tension and says the director was difficult with actors. But this person also says they did not witness physical or other abuse. Johns and Berg were under pressure, another insider notes, as they were trying to deliver a tentpole and knew their jobs were on the line. Whedon did jettison many of Fisher’s scenes, according to sources, and his directing style is described as the opposite of Snyder’s collaborative approach. It also is unclear if Fisher filed a complaint at the time.
It’s unclear what will happen with Fisher’s negotiations, but THR says “WarnerMedia’s investigation into allegations of misconduct on the 2017 film may impact how the Snyder Cut and spinoff ‘The Flash’ proceed,” and does throw a little shade too, suggesting the actor was deeply disappointed with what happened to his Cyborg character.
For Fisher, being cast as superhero Cyborg by Snyder was supposed to be the break of a lifetime. The actor went from theatre work and one episode of television to land the character, who was first introduced in Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) then showcased more predominantly in Justice League. Cyborg was also [supposed to] get his own standalone movie, which was slated for 2020. But all that was years ago. Justice League disappointed at the box office and a DC Films shake-up saw Johns and Berg let go, to be replaced Walter Hamada, an executive from Warners’ sister arm New Line.
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is expected to launch on HBO Max sometime in Q2 of 2021. “The Flash” is currently scheduled for a June 2, 2022 release.