In the past two years, we have heard from multiple actors and crew members on the verbal abuse Joss Whedon has displayed behind the scenes of iconic projects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Justice League. Joss Whedon finally responded to the allegations in a lengthy article with Vulture.
It came as such a shock to all of us to learn of Whedon’s unprofessional and rude behavior when the news first broke out about Ray Fisher and his experience with Joss Whedon. In 2017, Ray Fisher was filming Justice League with then-director Zack Snyder, until Warner Bros. decided to go in a different direction for the film, after the film was nearly completed, and brought on Joss Whedon to complete the project. Whedon’s Justice League was completely reshot and was met with mixed reviews and managed to get a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ray Fisher wasn’t the only actor who complained. Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot reported that Joss Whedon threatened her career when filming Justice League. Later, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel alumni Charisma Carpenter spoke out against the director, claiming verbal abuse when she was pregnant and filming Angel. Aquaman’s Jason Mamoa and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Sarah Michelle Gellar have since come out in support of their co-stars. Due to the allegations, an investigation was conducted and concluded in late 2020 from Warner Bros.
In the article, Joss Whedon has denied the allegations against him. He spoke of Gal Gadot, claiming, “I don’t threaten people. Who does that?” He concluded she had misunderstood him. “English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.” Whedon goes on to say Ray Fisher’s accusations were not true and even called Fisher a “bad actor.” Joss ends the article by stating, “I think I’m one of the nicer showrunners that’s ever been.”
In March 2021, HBO Max released Zack Snyder’s Justice League running over four hours long of the original content filmed in 2017, as well as new featured scenes that were filmed in 2020. The additional scenes feature the return of Ben Affleck as Batman, as well as Jared Leto reprising his role as the Joker.
You can stream Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as well as Joss Whedon’s 2017 Justice League on HBO Max now.