The drama continues. Nearly one year after Justice League star Ray Fisher took aim at Joss Whedon‘s “gross, abusive” behavior on set, a new report claims that the 56-year-old director “had it out” with Gal Gadot while working on the 2017 flick.
The Hollywood Reporter outlined more accusations against Whedon on Tuesday, April 6, alleging that the Firefly creator “threatened to harm Gadot’s career and disparaged Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.” Whedon was hired to take over for Zack Snyder, who stepped away from the production after the death of his daughter in March 2017. However, Gadot, 35, reportedly “had multiple concerns” with Whedon’s additions to the script.
Per the outlet, the Israel native thought the portrayal of her character in Justice League was “more aggressive” than in 2017’s Wonder Woman, making it difficult for “the character [to] flow from one movie to the next.” Whedon allegedly told the Critics’ Choice nominee to “shut up and say the lines,” threatening to “make her look incredibly stupid in this movie.”
When pressed about her relationship with the filmmaker, Gadot told THR, “I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner.”
Whedon’s Justice League drama previously made headlines in June 2020 when Fisher, 33, called for “accountability” within Hollywood after slamming the screenwriter on Twitter. “Joss Whedon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable,” Fisher wrote at the time.
Several months later, costar Jason Momoa supported Fisher’s claims of misconduct. “THIS S–T HAS TO STOP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT,” the Aquaman actor, 41, captioned an Instagram post in September 2020. “@ray8fisher AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO EXPERIENCED WHAT HAPPEN UNDER THE WATCH OF @wbpictures NEEDS PROPER INVESTIGATION. … Serious stuff went down. It needs to be investigated and people need to be held accountable. #IStandWithRayFisher.”
Fisher portrayed Cyborg, the first Black superhero in the DC film universe, in the 2017 action movie. Speaking with THR on Tuesday, the Maryland native claimed he felt like he had “to explain some of the most basic points of what would be offensive to the Black community” when Whedon’s reshoots began. Fisher was also disappointed by the lack of action on the studio’s part when it came to looking into Whedon’s behavior.
“I’ve been underestimated at every turn during this process and that is what has led us to this point,” he told the outlet. “Had they taken me as seriously as they should have from the beginning, they would not have made as many foolish mistakes as they did in the process.”
The recent Justice League allegations come shortly after Charisma Carpenter came forward with claims that Whedon “abused his power” on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
“Last summer when Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss of abusive and unprofessional behavior toward the cast and crew during reshoots on the Justice League set in 2017, it gutted me,” the 50-year-old actress wrote via social media in February. “Joss has a history of being casually cruel. He has created hostile and toxic work environments since his early career. I know because I experienced it first-hand. Repeatedly.”
Whedon has not publicly addressed the claims about his behavior during Buffy, but several of the series’ biggest stars lent their support to Carpenter after she spoke out.
“While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the show’s titular character, wrote via Instagram at the time. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently so I will not be making any further statements. At this time, but I stand with all survivors of abuse and I’m proud of them for speaking out.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Whedon for comment.
