Ray Fisher reveals Joss Whedon digitally altered the complexion of actor of color on Justice League

Ray Fisher has been speaking out against Justice League reshoots director Joss Whedon for months, leading to an investigation of the filmmaker’s work, and now the actor has dropped another bombshell.

Fisher, 33, who made his feature film debut in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Victor Stone/Cyborg, before 2017’s Justice League, shed new light on the production in an interview with Forbes.

The actor revealed that his whole campaign against Whedon and his behavior began when he learned that Whedon had digitally altered the complexion of an actor of color in post-production.

Bombshell: Ray Fisher has been speaking out against Justice League reshoots director Joss Whedon for months, leading to an investigation of the filmmaker’s work, and now the actor has dropped another bombshell

‘What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone,’ Fisher said, adding, ‘Man, with everything 2020’s been, that was the tipping point for me.’

Oddly enough, that quote, which had been circulated since by several other media outlets, was later removed from the Forbes piece, with the headline also altered.

The original headline – ‘Interview: Ray Fisher Talks Toxic Justice League Set, WarnerMedia Investigation, And Erasing Characters Of Color’ – was replaced with ‘Interview: Ray Fisher Speaks Out On “Toxic” Set And WarnerMedia Investigation Into Justice League Production.’

Soul on fire: 'What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone,' Fisher said, adding, 'Man, with everything 2020’s been, that was the tipping point for me'

Soul on fire: ‘What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in post-production because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone,’ Fisher said, adding, ‘Man, with everything 2020’s been, that was the tipping point for me’

An update was also issued at the top of the story, revealing, ‘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.’

Still, the piece still includes several quotes from Fisher claiming there were racist agendas at play on the reshoots.

‘The erasure of people of color from the 2017 theatrical version of Justice League was neither an accident nor coincidence,’ the actor said.

Racist agenda: Still, the piece still includes several quotes from Fisher claiming there were racist agendas at play on the reshoots

Racist agenda: Still, the piece still includes several quotes from Fisher claiming there were racist agendas at play on the reshoots

He added that before the reshoots, supervised by Whedon after original director Zack Snyder left due to a family tragedy, there were ‘blatantly racist conversations.’

‘Prior to Justice League’s reshoot process, blatantly racist conversations were had and entertained—on multiple occasions—by former and current top level executives at Warner Bros. Pictures,’ Fisher said.

‘Decision-makers that participated in those racist conversations were Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and current Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich.’ he added, though none of the executives commented on Fisher’s claims.

Reshoots: He added that before the reshoots, supervised by Whedon after original director Zack Snyder left due to a family tragedy, there were 'blatantly racist conversations'

Reshoots: He added that before the reshoots, supervised by Whedon after original director Zack Snyder left due to a family tragedy, there were ‘blatantly racist conversations’

Fisher ultimately came to realize that the notes he got from Johns on the reshoots were, ‘coded version of the racist things he was saying with behind closed doors with the other execs.’ adding that their behavior was an effort to keep their jobs during Warner Bros.’ merger with AT&T.

‘These conversations were reported to me by people in the room. And I wasn’t made aware until AFTER I had already spoken out about Joss Whedon,’ he added. 

‘None of what I’m sharing in this interview is news to Warner Bros. HR, nor should it be news to WarnerMedia. I reported almost everything to them back in July—including Emmerich’s involvement. The fact that I’m having to advocate for myself in this way is equal parts freeing and frustrating,’ he added.

Reshoots: Fisher ultimately came to realize that the notes he got from Johns on the reshoots were, 'coded version of the racist things he was saying with behind closed doors with the other execs.' adding that their behavior was an effort to keep their jobs during Warner Bros.' merger with AT&T

Reshoots: Fisher ultimately came to realize that the notes he got from Johns on the reshoots were, ‘coded version of the racist things he was saying with behind closed doors with the other execs.’ adding that their behavior was an effort to keep their jobs during Warner Bros.’ merger with AT&T

He went on to add that several characters played by actors of color had their roles significantly cut or eliminated altogether.

These characters include Ryan Choi (Zheng Kai), Silas Stone (Joe Morton), Ellinore Stone (Karen Bryson) and Kiersey Clemons (Iris West), though a representative for Whedon claimed those decisions were made before he came on the film.

‘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. 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,’ the statement from Whedon’s rep read. 

Zack Snyder is currently back on set for his own reshoots before Zack Snyder’s Justice League (a.k.a. The Snyder Cut) debuts on HBO Max in 2021. 

Cut: He went on to add that several characters played by actors of color had their roles significantly cut or eliminated altogether

Cut: He went on to add that several characters played by actors of color had their roles significantly cut or eliminated altogether