The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance for years, to the delight of fans like me. While there are plenty of upcoming horror movies to look forward to, I also love to re-watch some of the best horror movies over and over again. One favorite from the 2010s was Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods, which is a bonkers meta project that pivots between comedy and terror. And I'm so psyched that it's currently trending on HBO Max.

Those with an HBO Max subscription are treated to a ton of great horror content, including the upcoming series IT: Welcome to Derry. It looks like subscribers are already enjoying spooky season, because The Cabin in the Woods is trending on the streamer. Given just how much fun the 2011 flick is, I can't really blame them.

The Cabin In The Woods Is A Perfect Horror Comedy

At first glance, it looks like The Cabin in the Woods is a standard horror flick. The title inspires images of a number of beloved movies, including The Evil Dead, Cabin Fever, and The Strangers. And while we watch a group of hot college students get into debauchery while being warned about the dangers of the woods, it's a much more complicated (and hilarious) movie than just that.

Because as we follow that storyline, we're also shown a secret underground lab where engineers are manipulating the kids into acting like dumb, stereotypical horror characters. In the lab, we're treated to hilariously deadpan performances from actors like Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, and more.

Seeing the lab technicians try to ensure that the kids are murdered makes for some great gallows humor and also adds unique stakes to the various action sequences for The Cabin in the Woods. While the Scream movies brought meta commentary of the horror genre to theaters, Joss Whedon's movie offered a more modern take on these tropes.

I've also got to talk about the outstanding acting talent that makes up the cast of The Cabin in the Woods. The movie features Chris Hemsworth and was released the same year his life would change with the first Thor movie (streaming with a Disney+ subscription). Additionally, Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams is also featured, just a few years after he was introduced as Jackson Avery on the medical drama. Final Girl Kristen Connolly also stars as the main protagonist, Dana, before eventually appearing in House of Cards.

As previously mentioned, Bradley Whitford has a role, as does Sigourney Weaver as the surprise final villain. A bunch of familiar faces from Joss Whedon's projects also have roles, including Angel's Amy Acker, Dollhouse's Fran Kranz, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor Tom Lenk. While fans have waited for a Cabin in the Woods sequel, it doesn't seem like that's happening.

Overall, The Cabin in the Woods is a delightful movie, one that I'm glad is getting love over on HBO Max. And smart money says it won't be the last horror movie to get giant streaming numbers this October.

Joss Whedon was already well-versed in the world of genre storytelling going into the 2010s, having been the creative mind behind TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse, as well as having written movies like the original Buffy, Alien Resurrection, and Serenity, the latter of which he also directed. The Avengers, the sixth of the Marvel movies in order, was a different beast though, because this was his first time helming a superhero movie. While Whedon thought filming scenes with the Avengers arguing was hard, he was really in for it when he got to the “cars exploding.”

To be clear, The Avengers was not Whedon’s first superhero movie experience, as he previously did uncredited rewrites on 2000’s X-Men. But directing an entire production centered on superheroes on top of writing the script is obviously more demanding, and as the filmmaker explained when previously speaking with Yahoo, he underestimated which scenes were going to be harder to pull off. When asked by the outlet “what was the more sort of intimidating tasks,” between these giant action sequences involving “100 cars blowing up” or tacking the group scenes involving “eight major characters” all talking to each other, Whedon started off by saying:

Remember, in addition to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Chris Evans’ Captain America, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye comprising the original Avengers lineup, The Avengers (which has some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts) also featured people like Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in prominent roles. Presumably the scene Joss Whedon is referencing is when Fury and all the Avengers except for Hawkeye arguing with each other after discovering Fury had weaponized the Tesseract’s energy, and I can understand why he was relieved when that scene was finally in the can. Then came those cars exploding, with Whedon continuing:

I can see where he’s coming from, because at a certain point, the audience would recognize that the cars are exploding/being flipped over in the same manner. So in addition to merely shooting these sequences to fulfill their narrative purposes, care also needed to be taken to ensure that the action beats themselves were done uniquely, which required him to flex his writing muscles in a way he wasn’t as accustomed to doing. In his words:

Clearly Joss Whedon and his team nailed the end result, as The Avengers was met positive critical reception upon its release in May 2012 and went on to collect $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of that year. Whedon would then return to write and direct 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and then he stretched his superhero muscles again doing major rewrites on 2017’s Justice League and helming its significant reshoots following Zack Snyder’s departure.

Like the majority of the MCU’s offerings, The Avengers can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. As always, continue checking in with CinemaBlend for the biggest news about upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a behemoth force in the entertainment industry thanks to both movies and the live-action shows that are available with a Disney+ subscription. But Phase One was a huge risk, especially the very first Avengers movie, which was written and directed by Joss Whedon. And apparently The Avengers almost included a totally different villain and one more classic Marvel hero before Kevin Feige stepped in. Let's break it all down.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know what a cultural reset the original Avengers movie was. The crossover event was an ambitious step forward with serialized storytelling, and was a huge success. But in the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Whedon explained some of the variations to the story that came during the writing process. That includes a new villain and additional hero. In his words:

Is anyone else's head spinning? Clearly The Avengers went through a number of iterations before shooting finally began back in 2011. And that includes drafts were Loki was joined by the son of Obadiah Stane aka the villain the very first MCU movie Iron Man. Plus we might have been introduced to The Wasp years before Evangeline Lilly made her debut as Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man. 

It's fascinating to get this peek behind the curtain on The Avengers, especially considering how Whedon's scrapped ideas would have affected upcoming Marvel movies that came after. In the end, the right decisions were probably made, and a new blockbuster franchise was born. 

It's hard to imagine The Avengers without Black Widow, but it sounds like scheduling made that a very real possibility for a period of time-- despite Scarlett Johansson's debut in Iron Man 2. And if that happened, Whedon would have brought in The Wasp. Although I'm curious about who could have gotten that role if that plan moved forward.

Aside from Wasp, it's fascinating to hear that there were concerns about Tom Hiddleston's Loki being the only villain in The Avengers. He's had a legendary tenure as the God of Mischief, cumulating in Loki Season 2's finale. Still, I think that bringing Obadiah Stane's son into the narrative would have been interesting, especially since it offered a connection to the MCU's very first villain. Perhaps those plans can come together sometime in the future.

More insider information can be found in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studio, which is available for purchase now. The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your nextmovie experience. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has in many ways been an experiment in filmmaking, one that has paid off quite well over the years. After introducing various characters through solo movies, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes finally crossed over and embraced serialized storytelling with Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. He also stepped in to handle the screenplay, which was previously written by Zak Penn. The original Avengers writer was fired by Joss Whedon (who said he was done with Marvel) years And years later he calls that filmmaker a “dick.” Let’s break it all down.

Those of us who have been watching the Marvel movies in order know what an exciting event The Avengers was. But there was some behind-the-scenes drama ahead of the MCU’s first big crossover blockbuster. In the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (via CBM), writer Zak Penn got honest about what it was like seeing Whedon brought in to take over the movie he’d been spending years writing. In his words,

Ouch. It sounds like Penn was really blindsided when Joss Whedon was hired for The Avengers, and quickly started writing his own script for the blockbuster. What’s more, he didn’t directly communicate with the original screenwriter, who would go on to get a “story by” credit alongside the controversial Buffy filmmaker.

Penn actually knew Joss Whedon prior to this shake-up, and reportedly reached out to him about The Avengers. Per The Reign of Marvel Studios, he appealed to Whedon, who insisted he’d rewrite the entire script. The writer got blunt about this experience, sharing:

Touche. In the end Zak Penn wasn’t credited for The Avengers’ screenplay, and was only listed as having worked on the story. And as such, he lost out on a huge paycheck, as well as a major credit for his resume. It’s no doubt for this reason that he thinks Whedon is such a “dick.”

Penn was no stranger to superhero movies at the point of working on The Avengers, as his previous credits include projects like X2, and The Incredible Hulk. Alas, Joss Whedon was determined to pen a new script, and to have the role writing credit on the blockbuster. In the end he did just that.

This is the latest example of stories coming out about Joss Whedon’s behavior on major productions. He was accused of misconduct by a number of collaborators, including Buffy’s Charisma Carpenter. Plus there’s all of Whedon’s Justice League drama.

The MCU will return to theaters with The Marvels on November 10th, and The Avengers is streaming now with a Disney+ subscription. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Nostalgia has been a powerful force in the entertainment industry for years now, with plenty of beloved properties returning with new content. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is finally getting rebooted (sort of), with the new Audible series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. Plenty of OG members of the Buffy cast are reprising their roles in this audio-only project, including Anya herself Emma Caulfield Ford. And she recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the “effortless” collaboration she had with Tara actress Amber Benson, who wrote and directed Slayers. Someone cue the show’s theme song!

Slasyes: A Buffyverse Story tells a multiversal story, which allows for characters who died on the TV show to return for another adventure. Ahead of the Audible series’ release, I had the privilege of speaking with Emma Caulfield Ford about returning to Anya in this unique way. She spoke about working with Benson in a particular, saying:

How sweet is that? While Caulfield Ford didn’t originally intend on playing Anya again in any form, it sounds like the trust she had with Amber Benson won her over. And in the process, she got to play multiple versions of the Buffy scene stealer thanks to Slayers’ wild narrative. 

The finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw Anya being killed by a Bringer in the final battle against The First, in a heroic but tragic ending for the former vengeance demon. But in Slayers, we’re introduced to an alternate version of Anya that isn’t only alive, but is also a witch. Later in our same conversation Caulfield Ford explained how working with Amber Benson helped her performance come together, saying:

Talk about heartwarming. Seeing just how strong the bonds are with the cast of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is definitely going to touch the generations of Buffy fans out there. While the fans are loyal, the show has also been associated wit the allegations made about Joss Whedon’s behavior during its seven season run. So hearing the cast back in their signature characters for a new project is definitely a balm. 

Aside from Caulfield Ford and Benson, Slayers also brings back Buffy actors Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Juliet Landau, Danny Strong, and more. While a full-out Buffy reboot was paused, this is new story is sure to please longtime fans of the franchise.

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is available now on Audible, and the original Buffy series is streaming on Hulu. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Although the DC Extended Universe has always been on rocky ground in one form or another since its debut movie, Man of Steel, was met with polarizing reception, late 2017 was a particularly rough period for the franchise. That was when the theatrical version of Justice League was released, with nearly all of that movie’s footage coming from the reshoots helmed by Joss Whedon following Zack Snyder’s departure. More than half a decade after this Justice League’s run on the big screen, former DC president Diane Nelson has admitted Whedon’s cut of the movie was “terrible,” although she didn’t go so far as to totally back Snyder.

Nelson was among the guests interviewed as part of The Wall Street Journal’s podcast series With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema, where she discussed her time being involved with the making of Justice League. As those who followed the movie’s development closely know, Snyder exited during the postproduction process, and Whedon, who’d already been tapped for rewrites, was selected to take over directorial duties in his place. Here’s what Nelson, who ran DC Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, said about the product the director behind the first two Avengers movies put together (via Bleeding Cool):

Diane Nelson certainly isn’t the only one who feels Justice League was a letdown. The movie ranks at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, and its reputation has only diminished following the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with that four-hour cut ranking at 72%. Furthermore, while Justice League did make close to $658 million worldwide, the production budget fell at about $300 million, so it certainly can’t be classified as a financial success for Warner Bros. Pictures. Like Nelson said, a superhero team-up on this scale should have made a huge splash at the box office, at the very least surpassing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s $873.6 million, if not easily clearing $1 billion.

However, just because Diane Nelson would have preferred seeing Zack Snyder’s fully realized Justice League vision on the big screen rather than Joss Whedon’s doesn’t mean she was all in on the 300 and Watchmen filmmaker. The executive said the following about how it wasn’t accurate to classify Snyder as DC’s version of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at this point in the DCEU’s lifespan, nor would she have wanted him to be:

While both Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s versions of Justice League laid groundwork for sequels, ultimately those never materialized, with the DCEU instead prioritizing standalone stories. The Flash is the closes audiences came to a Justice League reunion, with Ezra Miller’s title Scarlet Speedster reuniting with Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The DCEU era is set to wrap up with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and after that, the new DC Universe will unfold, with Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy being the first projects on the Chapter One slate, a.k.a. Gods and Monsters.

You can check out both versions of Justice League while going through the DC movies in order with your Max subscription. If you’re a Netflix subscriber interested in Zack Snyder’s work, his next movie for the streamer, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, comes out on December 22, with Part Two: The Scargiver following on April 19, 2024.

Actress Melanie Lynskey has had a long, successful career that spanned both film and television. She’s having a serious moment right now thanks to her acclaimed work in Showtime’s Yellowjackets, which recently ended its second season. Although it turns out that she could have another iconic TV role on her long resume. Because Lynskey revealed she was nearly cast as Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What’s more, she explained what went wrong.

Full disclosure: Buffy is my favorite show of all time. So it’s mind-blowing to learn that Melanie Lynskey almost played everyone’s favorite witch Willow. The role famously went to Alyson Hannigan, who played her for all seven seasons of the series. The Ever After actress recently did an interview with Evan Ross Katz, where she shared the true story about her Buffy experience. In her words:

Well, there you have it. While we’re arguably in the golden age of television now, there was a time when ending up on the small screen was not ideal for film actors. Melanie Lynskey was seemingly influenced by this as Buffy the Vampire Slayer was being developed, and originally didn’t want to transition from film to TV. And as such, she originally didn’t want to audition for the role of beloved Scooby Gang member Willow. Although admittedly it’s hard to imagine anyone but Alyson Hannigan in the role. And in the end Lysnkey would go on to star in Two and a Half Men, and (of course) Yellowjackets.

But the story behind Lynskey and Buffy doesn’t end there. Because despite her reservations, she was eventually convinced to try out for the developing project. Later in that same interview, she revealed how the unaired pilot changed her mind, and made her want to join in on the fun as Willow Rosenberg. As she shared:

Talk about emotional whiplash. While at first it seemed like Melanie Lynskey could easily play Willow thanks to her relationship with Joss Whedon, it didn’t exactly go down that way. And to her recollection, it was her clothing choices in the audition that resulted in her missing out on the role. Although she has no ill-will, especially towards actress Alyson Hannigan.

Knowing all of this, it’s somewhat surprising that Lynskey didn’t at least pop up in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a guest capacity. The show ran for seven seasons, and Joss Whedon was the showrunner throughout. So there were 144 episodes where she could have had a role, either as a human or demonic creature. Now I've got FOMO.

In the end things probably worked out for the best. Hannigan gave an iconic performance as Willow, while Melanie Lynskey went on to a number of exciting projects. And she’s finally a full-fledged TV star thanks to Yellowjackets. Lynskey also recently appeared in The Last Of Us, playing a character made especially for the show.

Buffy is available to stream on Hulu, while Yellowjackets airs on Showtime. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

DC fans who prefer the work of Zack Snyder in the universe were not happy the other day because they believed that marketing and promotion for the new movie The Flash suggested the film was a sequel in continuity with Joss Whedon’s butchered Justice League… also known as the Josstice League. The evidence connecting the two was thin. 

Now, having seen The Flash twice, I can tell you there are two scenes in The Flash that very clearly point to things that happened in the Snyder Cut, but were not found in the dreadful theatrical cut. Thereby proving that in the current slate of DC Movies, Snyder’s cut of Justice League is canon. We're about to jump into spoilers, so please be forewarned!

This is important to Zack Snyder’s fans because they literally had to fight tooth and nail to get the Snyder Cut of Justice League released. Warner Bros. acknowledging its existence, and making it part of The Flash narrative, is an outstanding step toward making Zack’s work on the DC trilogy canon. There have been some outliers on social media making the claim The Flash wipes away Snyder’s Cut, when in fact, the opposite is true. There are two very distinct moments in The Flash that prove that this movie is canon to The Snyder Cut, and not Josstice League. Let me break them down. 

Barry And Bruce’s Conversation

Shortly after Barry runs fast enough to access the Speed Force, peering backward into events of the past that just happened, he turns to his chief confidant, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). Bruce seeks clarification, and basically asks Barry if him running back in time is similar to what he did in Russia. And Barry confirms that yes, it’s just like that. Only in Russia, he only traveled back one minute. And in the instance that we watched in The Flash, he traveled back a full day. 

The running sequence in The Snyder Cut looked like this:

Here’s the thing. Barry never traveled back through time in the Josstice League cut. He races to protect that dreadful Russian family (who were only included for pathetic comic relief), but Superman (Henry Cavill) was able to help Cyborg (Ray Fisher) separate the Unity, stopping Steppenwolf’s attack. Do the math, and Batfleck referring to the time travel moment from Zack Snyder’s Justice League (which doesn’t occur in Josstice League), that seemingly confirms The Flash is canon with The Snyder Cut.  

You need more? Sure, this one really solidifies it. 

Iris Remembers Meeting Barry

One of the reasons DC fans were so furious with Josstice League is that it appeared actors of color were removed from the original footage. That included a long sequence with Kiersey Clemons that didn’t make it into the theatrical cut but was restored into Zack Snyder’s Justice League. During the sequence, Iris is involved in a serious car accident, and Barry uses his incredible speed to rescue her mid crash. She spots him when the two of them land in the street, but then he speeds off.

Flash forward (no pun intended) to the first time Iris (Clemons) meets Barry (Ezra Miller) outside of the courthouse in The Flash. She mentions remembering seeing him recently, but can’t recall when. Barry awkwardly jokes that they haven’t seen each other since school, trying to brush past this scene:

This interaction does not happen in Josstice League. So, if Iris West mentions remembering it in The Flash, then she remembers a scene from The Snyder Cut, strengthening the connections between Andy Muschietti’s movie, and Snyder’s magnum opus. 

Do you agree? And how much does it matter to you? Either way, it seems like The Flash is closing the door on DC’s past, with Blue Beetle serving a unique position of being a major start of DC’s new beginning. History is being made, by the day. 

During the 1990s there were a number of beloved shows on TV. For the WB (and later UPN) one of the biggest hits was Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which famously starred Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role. The show has retained a cult following in the two decades since it ended, and the cast remain beloved parts of pop culture for the fans. That includes James Marsters, who played the vampire Spike in a whopping 97 episodes. But the actor recently says he would’ve killed off Spike, and his logic actually makes a great deal of sense.

Spike first debuted in Season 2 of Buffy (which is available to stream with a Hulu subscription), and served as an occasional antagonist in Season 3. But James Marsters became a series regular in Season 4, and remained with the show until the series finale, before joining the spinoff Angel for its final season on the air. During that time he went from a ruthless villain to a full-fledged member of the Scooby Gang. But in a recent interview with RadioTimes, Marsters revealed that he probably would have killed his character off if he was in charge at the time. In the P.S. I Love You actor’s words:

Some points were made. Years before Twilight came into the pop culture landscape, the original vampire love story debate was whether Buffy fans were Team Angel or Team Spike. But this was only made possible thanks to drastic changes made to the latter character, especially the chip in his head that prevented him from hurting living things. Still, Spike’s expanded role created some major challenges for the writers.

Despite being Spike himself, James Marsters’ comments revealed that he actually would have killed off the vampiric character if he was in charge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike ended up growing into a fan favorite, especially once he became sympathetic and regained his soul in Season 7. But he was a series regular for a few seasons prior to this, and Marsters described why this stood in juxtaposition to the messaging of the show’s earlier entries, saying:

That’s a fair point. Although considering that David Boreanaz’s Angel was the first big love interest in Buffy, there was precedent for us to eventually see the softer side of Spike. And that occurred thanks to his bond with Dawn in Season 5, and his unrequited feelings of love for The Slayer. James Marsters further explained some of the issues that writers had with his signature character, sharing:

Of course, hardcore Buffy fans likely couldn’t see the show without Spike’s presence, although not all of his scenes have aged well. After all, he attempted to sexually assault her late in Season 6, and was still given a redemption arc in Season 7. This is just one example of the way that the public’s perception of Buffy has changed, along with the reported behavior by Joss Whedon when the show was in production. 

While the 60 year-old actor admitted he’d have killed off Spike in Buffy, James Marsters also previously offered an idea about how his vampiric character might return if the show got a reboot. But it’s unclear if the show will ever actually return to the small screen, especially given the allegations about Whedon’s behavior. In the meantime, fans like myself regularly re-watch the original seven season run. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

Over the past few years, there’s been a seismic shift in the entertainment industry, with plenty of powerful figures being at the center of allegations of being inappropriate on set. Filmmaker Joss Whedon has been at the center of a number of controversies, including a few of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actors coming out about the experience of working with him. Lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has been selective about her comments, while putting her support behind victims who are speaking out. Although her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. got real about the "BS" she dealt with while filming Buffy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for a whopping seven seasons, and has a devoted fan base that remains to this day. But the show’s legacy has been somewhat altered over the past few years, when actors like Charisma Carpenter, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Amber Benson spoke about the set being a toxic environment, and Joss Whedon’s behavior specifically. While Sarah Michelle Gellar hasn’t shared any of her own stories, her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. recently got honest with THR about what it was like filming that beloved series. As he put it:

There you have it. It sounds like Sarah Michelle Gellar was under a ton of stress while playing the title character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That includes a great deal of stunts and action sequences, night shoots, and wildly long hours. And if you ask her husband, she wasn’t properly compensated for a lot of that grueling work. Suddenly I’m seeing some real similarities between Gellar and her signature character; they both seemingly had the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Freddie Prinze Jr.’s comments about Gellar and Buffy come from a long story all about SMG, including her personal life and career. After taking a break, she recently stepped back on sets with a supporting role in Netflix’s movie Do Revenge, as well as the new Paramount+ series Wolf Pack. While discussing her return to TV, eventually the conversation turned to Buffy and its complicated legacy related to creator Joss Whedon. 

What Sarah Michelle Gellar has said about Joss Whendon and Buffy

During that interview with THR, Sarah Michelle Gellar carefully addressed her experience working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She didn’t actually mention Whedon by name, and explained why she’ll likely never share her full story with the public. In her words,

Of course, Freddie Prinze Jr. was a little more vocal, coming to the defense of his wife. But given how many people love Buffy and how much real pain some of her co-stars have related to their experience on the show, Sarah Michelle Gellar opening up the floodgates would be a lose-lose situation. Although she’s no doubt got some stories from those seven seasons saving Sunnydale and the world.

The allegations about Joss Whedon came out in early 2021, when actress Charisma Carpenter (who played Cordelia Chase in both Buffy and Angel) wrote about her harrowing experiences on social media. This led to other actors sharing their experiences online. At that time all eyes were on Sarah Michelle Gellar, who posted her own brief response on Instagram. It read:

There were some talks about Buffy being rebooted, with Sarah Michelle Gellar saying definitively that she wasn’t interested in playing Sunnydale’s protector again. Although with the ongoing situation surrounding Joss Whedon, I have to wonder if that’ll ever actually happen. Luckily for Buffy fans, Gellar is back on television in Wolf Pack.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Hulu, and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new show Wolf Pack will debut January 26th. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

The past few years have seen a complete career turnaround for writer and director Joss Whedon, who has been the subject of numerous allegations related to problematic behavior on the set of projects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Justice League, with actors Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher and Charisma Carpenter among those having the most to say about (and in response to) Whedon. The list of former colleagues who have sided with Whedon’s accusers has grown with time (and includes David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar), but don’t count on seeing Nathan Fillion joining that bunch. The Rookie star broke his all-around silence on the matter and spoke with praise of his former Firefly boss.

With Season 4 of his ABC drama having wrapped in May, though not before setting up the Niecy Nash-starring spinoff titled The Rookie: Feds, Nathan Fillion settled in for a solid conversation with Smallville vet Michael Rosenbaum for the latter’s Inside of You podcast. After the topic of Firefly came up, Rosenbaum posed the question of the cancelled-too-soon fave returning in some form without Joss Whedon, which Fillion said would be “heartbreaking,” while questioning how it could happen. 

At this point, Rosenbaum asked for Fillion’s thoughts on the aforementioned controversies involving Joss Whedon, which sparked a very specific response from the Malcolm Reynolds portrayer:

When then asked what his experience with Joss Whedon was like regarding Firefly, here’s now Nathan Fillion responded:

To be clear, in sharing his own feelings about Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion in no way discounted the claims and reports of those who spoke out regarding other Whedon projects. So he wasn’t exactly denying the notion that such allegations are legitimate, even though he didn’t exactly show support to anyone either by avoiding the topic altogether. On the flip side of that coin, Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku previously shared a lengthy statement of support after her Buffy co-star Charisma Carpenter spoke out about her alleged experiences, though without calling Whedon out directly in the way she went about her claims against former Bull co-star Michael Weatherly.

So just in case anyone wondered if Fillion would still put future distance between himself and Whedon on a professional level, that’s clearly not the case. There’s no telling what the director will bring to light next from a creative standpoint, but if he needs anyone to fill the top spot on the call sheet, he knows where to look. 

Any Word On A Firefly Revival?

It's unclear if Firefly will ever make a return to fans in any live-action form following the Serenity feature, but it's safe to say that those chances got even worse after the Joss Whedon backlash. And while it sounds like he'd be skeptical about returning as Captain Mal with anyone other than Whedon as the spearheader, he'd clearly jump right into gear if someone picked it up with its creator's involvement intact. But is that something the two of them ever chat about? Here's how Fillion put it:

It's hard to think of any show that has anchored more "revive this show" conversations than Firefly, with its single season having launched a comic book mini-verse. Not that fans of the Fox series have allowed such two-dimensional fare to sway the calls for the show's crew to get back together for one last mission. (Or 8-13 last mini-missions, as it were.) 

Just as Nathan Fillion and Joss Whedon still keep in touch, The Rookie totally featured a sweet reunion between Fillion and his former Firefly (and Con Man) co-star Alan Tudyk back for the Season 4 finale. Granted, some storytelling magic would need to happen for Tudyk to return, but such is the world of sci-fi. Still, it's probably best not to get one's hopes up too high. 

Firefly is available to stream with a Hulu subscription.

Joss Whedon has been making headlines quite a bit over the past few years, but not for adding another high-profile film or TV show to the superhero, horror or sci-fi genres. The noted filmmaker and showrunner became the center of attention in 2020 when Justice League actor Ray Fisher accused him of exhibiting “gross” and “abusive” behavior on the set of the DC Comics film. And the following year, Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Charisma Carpenter accused him of “harassment” and on-set misconduct. Whedon denied these claims in a recent interview, and Carpenter is responding to his comments on both her and Fisher. 

Charisma Carpenter originally alleged that Joss Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions” while working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Carpenter also stated that her “performance anxiety” was increased as a result. Additionally, the actress accused him of referring to her as “fat” in the presence of her co-stars while she was pregnant. In a lengthy interview with New York Magazine published earlier this week, Whedon admitted that he was “not mannerly” during that time but also said that the majority of his interactions with the actress were “delightful and charming.” He also added that she “struggled sometimes with her lines, but nobody could hit a punch line harder than her.”

In regard to Ray Fisher, the director asserted that none of his allegations were “true or merited discussing.” He also referred to Fisher as “a malevolent force” and “a bad actor in both senses.” He’d add that he cut down the storyline of Fisher’s Justice League character, Cyborg, because he felt that it “logically made no sense.” Fisher has since responded to the comments and, after the Cordelia Chase actress saw them, she sent some support to the DC actor via Twitter:

In the same interview, Joss Whedon also shared thoughts on Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot. The star previously claimed that Whedon threatened her career while she worked with him on the Justice League set and released a statement on the matter. Whedon responded, saying “I don’t threaten people” and seemed to surmise that since “english is not her first language,” she may not have understood his “flowery” speech. Gadot, in an email, stated that she understood perfectly, and Charisma Carpenter doubled down on the Death on the Nile star's sentiments:

After speaking out about her own experiences last year, the Buffy actress received a wave of support from fans and colleagues. Sarah Michelle Gellar spoke out on the matter, while other series alums like Michelle Trachtenberg and Eliza Dushku joined in with emotional support. Former Angel lead and current SEAL Team star David Boreanaz also reached out via social media. Likewise, Ray Fisher also commended her for speaking out and shared more kind words for her after seeing her most recent shout-outs for him.

There’s no telling how much longer this drama may continue to play out between Charisma Carpenter and Ray Fisher and Joss Whedon. One thing that seems clear, though, is that Carpenter and Fisher are firmly in the same camp when it comes to their experiences with the once-celebrated director.

The DC Extended Universe is always full of surprises, and last year’s release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was certainly no exception. The filmmaker’s epic four-hour vision was released via streaming after years of fan campaigns, greatly expanding the narrative in the process. But has the great Jeremy Irons seen the Snyder Cut? Here’s what he says about Justice League and the extended cut on HBO Max.

Jeremy Irons made his debut as Alfred Pennyworth in Batman v Superman, before eventually reprising the role in Justice League. The theatrical cut dropped some A+ footage of Irons, including his scene opposite Henry Cavill’s Superman and great chemistry with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The Watchmen actor was recently asked if he’s caught the Snyder Cut, saying:

Well, there you have it. Jeremy Irons definitely didn’t hold back when revealing his relationship to Justice League, and thoughts about the 2017 theatrical cut. While he hasn’t seen the Snyder Cut in all of its glory, he clearly wasn’t a big fan of the version that went to theaters years ago. Shots fired by none other than Bruce Wayne’s trusty manservant.

Jeremy Irons’ comments to Variety are sure to please hardcore fans of the Snyder Cut who were similarly dissatisfied with the first cut of Justice League. While he was still a gentleman and didn’t go into the specifics of that ill-fated blockbuster, it’s clear that even the cast agreed with the public’s response to the theatrical cut. Later in his same interview, he further explained that it was seemingly impossible for the Snyder Cut to be of a lesser quality than the original. As he put it,

Touche. Both DC fans and moviegoers in general failed to respond to Justice League when it hit theaters in 2017, resulting in critical and box office disappointment. Criticism came since the movie looked like a bit of a Frankenstein project, with two different visions competing within the same project. By comparison, the reviews were much kinder to the Snyder Cut when it arrived via streaming last year.

Unfortunately for fans of Jeremy Irons, it’s unclear if/when he’ll ever return to the DCEU to play Alfred again. After Ben Affleck departed the role of Batman, it seemed that Irons’ time in the shared universe was up as well. While Affleck will have his final bow as the Dark Knight in the upcoming Flash movie, Irons isn’t currently attached to the multiversal blockbuster.

The Flash is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 4th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

While superhero movies are everywhere, none have the unprecedented life of Justice League. The 2017 theatrical cut brought together by Joss Whedon failed to impress audiences and critics alike, eventually leading to the release of Zack Snyder’s four-hour director’s cut. Since then there’s been plenty of drama and accusations about Whedon, and now Cyborg actor Ray Fisher has responded to the director’s viral comments about his acting.

Ray Fisher has been open for years about what it was like working on Justice League once Joss Whedon was brought in to complete the project, with situations happening on set which he deemed to be unacceptable. Whedon recently was interviewed about his various controversies, where he took aim at Fisher “a bad actor in both senses.” Cyborg himself took to social media to respond, posting:

Well, there you have it. While not getting into the nitty gritty of Joss Whedon’s wild new interview, Ray Fisher was able to fire back, while also seemingly brushing off the director’s comments about his character and talent. We’ll just have to see if he returns to social media now that Martin Luther King Jr. day has passed.

The above post comes to us from Ray Fisher’s personal Twitter account, and definitely captured the attention of the public. He’s been using social media to share his experiences with Joss Whedon, claiming that some executives at Warner Bros. and DC tried to cover the drama up. Of course, he’s far from the only actor who has had an issue with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator. In fact, Whedon’s interview also took aim at another member of the League: Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot.

The situation surrounding Ray Fisher and Joss Whedon became public back in 2020, where the actor began sharing his experiences on set, and claimed Whedon was both “abusive” and “unprofessional” when joining the set of Justice League. Said comments have seemingly inspired other colleagues of Whedon’s to come out about their own negative experiences, including a number of Buffy cast members and Gal Gadot.

The recent interview of Joss Whedon by Vulture quickly broke the internet, and inspired new discourse about the Avengers filmmaker’s behavior. This is especially true because he took jabs at both Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot, denying their claims and even maintaining that there was a language barrier between himself as the Wonder Woman star. And just like that, the drama surrounding the “cancelled” director has been reignited.

From this latest report, it’s clear that the drama surrounding Justice League and Joss Whedon will continue for the foreseeable future. Ray Fisher is seemingly determined to bring some accountability to the DCEU for what happened after Zack Snyder departed the set. We’ll just have to see how the situation continues to shake out.

Both versions of Justice League are currently streaming on HBO Max. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

After years of allegations being hurled at writer-director Joss Whedon for such despicable acts as sexual abuse to on-set racism, the Cabin in the Woods helmer took it upon himself to sit down for a multi-day interview where he addresses almost all of the charges levied against him by his ex-wife and former cast members. The interview opens up difficult interrogations regarding his alleged abuse of Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Charisma Carpenter, his verbal abuse of female writers, and admitted affairs he had with fans and journalists. But it’s the passages regarding his controversial stint on Warner Bros. Justice League that are the focus of this article. We advise you go read the article in full.

By the time the interview with New York Magazine (via Apple News), shifts to Justice League, Joss Whedon describes his decision to try and “fix” Zack Snyder’s cut of the movie for Warner Bros. as being one of his biggest regrets. The article rehashes explanations for the discontent on set that have been shared by DC and Zack Snyder fans for years: That Snyder encouraged improvisation in his actors, while Whedon expected them to adhere to his script; That Gal Gadot pushed back against Whedon’s writing, and the director insulted her. A crew member recalling their time on the set claims that Whedon said he’d never worked with “a ruder group of people” than the Justice League cast. And in trying to clarify his disconnect with Gadot, Whedon told New York Magazine: 

Gal Gadot responded to this by telling NY Magazine she “understood perfectly” everything the director was trying to convey. Eventually, the interview turns to the accusations leveled against Whedon by Justice League co-star Ray Fisher, who said the director abused his power while on set of the reshoots and was enabled by Warner Bros. executives, calling out Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Whedon doesn’t address those accusations directly, though he does offer his explanation as to why Fisher’s performance as Cyborg – which Zack Snyder famously referred to as the “heart” of the movie – was cut out of the 2017 theatrical release of Justice League. Whedon says in the article that the Cyborg storyline “logically made no sense,” and allegedly called Fisher’s acting bad. He claims to have had friendly conversations with Fisher about the changes he wanted to make, and says that none of Fisher’s claims to the media have been “either true or merited discussing.” In conclusion, Whedon told New York Magazine:

New York Magazine claims to have reached out to Ray Fisher multiple times with interview requests, but they say the actor did not respond.

Snyder fans already are taking to social media to defend Fisher, and declare Whedon “done” following the interview. Posts like this flooded Twitter as the latest rounds of details regarding this back-and-forth surfaced. 

There may never be a clean resolution to the events that happened on the Justice League reshoots, though Snyder fans at least can claim a creative victory because their efforts to get the Snyder Cut of the film released culminated in an HBO Max debut in March 2021.  

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a well-oiled machine over the last decade of filmmaking, but it started off as a major gamble. A crossover event like Joss Whedon’s The Avengers had never been done, and the project changed throughout the course of its development. And it turns out that Zooey Deschanel almost played a major Marvel hero in that iconic blockbuster.

The Avengers arrived in theaters back in 2012, and featured the first major MCU crossover as the heroes assembled to protect New York City. Joss Whedon wanted to bring in Zooey Deschanel as The Wasp after it seemed like Black Widow wouldn’t factor into the story. Senior Vice President of Marvel Studios Jeremy Latcham confirmed this recently, saying:

Well, my mind is blown. It’s hard to imagine The Avengers without Black Widow, but it looks like another badass female hero nearly joined the team: The Wasp. While that’s a character that would ultimately be played by Evangeline Lilly in the Ant-Man movies, it’s fascinating to imagine how the shared universe would have been altered by this choice.

Jeremy Latcham’s revelation about The Avengers comes to us from the newly released book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Via The Direct).  In it there are a number of tidbits that are sure to blow the minds of Marvel fans out there. Chief among them is that Zooey Deschanel nearly had the chance to be the first female Avenger instead of Scarlett Johnasson’s Black Widow.

The generations of MCU fans might be wondering exactly why Black Widow was nearly not included in the lineup of The Avengers. That’s addressed in the book, as it wasn’t always clear if Scarlett Johansson would be able to film and reprise her Iron Man 2 role due to a scheduling conflict. Joss Whedon himself is quoted, where he addressed the way Wasp nearly factored into the blockbuster. As he put it,

Suddenly it all makes sense. It looks like Joss Whedon wrote an alternate version of The Avengers script just in case Scarlett Johansson wasn’t available to appear as Black Widow. But the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator might have gone overboard, and made The Wasp the star of the show. But moviegoers know how that ultimately worked out.

In the end Scarlett Johnasson starred as Black Widow in all four of the Avengers movies, and only recently wrapped her tenure as the character. Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp will be back in Ant-Man’s upcoming threequel, while it remains to be seen if Zooey Deschanel ever gets to play a Marvel character. Although there are some killer choices for the 500 Days of Summer actress.

The next installment in the MCU is Eternals on November 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

By now, many are likely familiar with the production of 2017’s Justice League and the subsequent fallout from the Joss Whedon-directed reshoots. A number of the film’s stars have since aimed allegations against the filmmaker. The first was Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, who accused him of “gross” and “abusive” behavior in April 2020. Amid the claims, it was reported that Whedon threatened Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot while working on the set. The actress subsequently shared brief comments on the matter, and she recently provided a few more thoughts while reflecting on the situation. 

Gal Gadot’s on-set interactions with Joss Whedon were originally reported amid Ray Fisher’s numerous allegations against the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator. At the time, Gadot simply confirmed that she’d had issues with Whedon and that the situation was handled quickly. She later stated that the writer/director threatened to make her career “miserable” should she say something about their reported confrontation. The actress recently reiterated how fast Warner Bros. was in resolving the issue and reflected on her exact feelings in the moment:

The actress’ comments seem to point towards a larger conversation that’s been taking place across Hollywood over the past few years. Many in the entertainment industry have been making it a goal to build positive working environments. This process has, in turn, seen a number of stars speak out in regard to alleged inappropriate behavior. 

Based on her later comments during her interview with Elle, Gal Gadot seems glad that everything has been taken care of. Though are a few questions that still linger in her mind as she looks back on how things played out: 

Ray Fisher’s initial comments on Joss Whedon were followed by others, who came forward to discuss their own experiences with the famed creative. Buffy alum Charisma Carpenter said Whedon “abused his power” on the set, referring to the incidents as “disturbing.” In response to the investigation surrounding Fisher’s claims, Aquaman actor Jason Momoa shared some frustrated thoughts, saying that “THIS SHIT HAS TO STOP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT.” A spokesperson for Whedon later denied some of Fisher’s claims.

The overall investigation surrounding Justice League concluded in December 2020, with reports indicating that “remedial action” had been taken. Meanwhile, Gal Gadot is moving on from the incident, having since booked several major projects, including Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 3.

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The Snyder Cut of Justice League has arrived, giving fans the definitive version of Zack Snyder’s DC team-up movie. However, the fallout from the 2017 film’s tumultuous reshoots still continues. Most probably know by now that after Zack Snyder departed in 2017 due to a family tragedy, he was replaced by writer-director Joss Whedon, who oversaw said reshoots. For nearly a year now, cast members have made allegations against Whedon, accusing him of “gross” and “abusive” behavior among other things. One of those claims is that Whedon allegedly threatened the career of Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot and, now, the actress has shed some light on the matter.

After a long-form story on Justice League initially reported the claim against Joss Whedon, Gal Gadot released a statement in which she confirmed that she did have problems with the director. She also mentioned that Warner Bros. handled the situation in a “timely manner.” Gadot recently sat down with Israel’s N12 News (in a clip shared by journalist Yuna Leibzon on Twitter) and, during the interview, she further discussed the matter and confirmed that Whedon did threaten her career:

Previous reports claimed Gal Gadot and Joss Whedon clashed on the handling of the Wonder Woman character during Justice League reshoots. It’s unclear as to whether that’s what led to their confrontation, but Gadot’s new comments do add more context in regard to Whedon’s threat.

Cyborg actor Ray Fisher was the first Justice League cast member to make public claims against Joss Whedon, which led to investigation. Since retracting his initial support of Whedon, Fisher has gone on to detail the alleged actions of the filmmaker and describe the “resentment” Whedon brought into the DC film. Whedon has since responded to Fisher’s allegations, claiming that some of them are false.

Ray Fisher’s claims have since led to an array of other allegations against Joss Whedon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Charisma Carpenter accused Whedon of “harassment” and on-set misconduct while working on the show and spinoff Angel. This led to a wave of support from other members of the Buffy cast and fans across the internet.

Joss Whedon’s 2017 theatrical cut of Justice League remains a controversial topic for fans and creatives. While Zack Snyder has avoided trashing the cut, others have reportedly shared blunt thoughts on it. Both Whedon’s cut and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are available to stream on HBO Max, which you can sign up for using this link.

Chances are we’ll likely never know every single detail of what happened during Justice League’s Joss Whedon-led reshoots. However, comments from stars like Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher are clarifying the situation and appear to be turning heads.

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Long ago, and an entire cut of Justice League away, there was the legend of Henry Cavill’s mustache. Unable to shave it due to his commitments on Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the reshoots for Joss Whedon’s version of Justice League required heavy CGI to digitally remove said mustache from the “finished” film. No one has seen footage of Cavill’s mustache from that shoot, but it’s intrigued the world to the point of wanting to see those hairy moments from behind the scenes. Now a team has added that infamous mustache back to Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, and I can’t look away.

Just as the fabled Zack Snyder’s Justice League sat in Warner Bros’ archives waiting to be unleashed, so too does the footage that saw Henry Cavill don the tights with full facial furniture. Truly inspired, a team of digital effects artists engaged in a project that they hope will convince Warner Bros to release “The Mustache Cut.” The results from Corridor Digital are as impressive, and silly, as you’d expect:

Through three different methods, deep fakes, compositing and CGI, restoring Henry Cavill’s mustache to Justice League becomes an actual reality. Using everything from footage in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, as well as some other tools that allowed the addition of any sort of mustache, options were explored and exhausted. After mixing the three modes together, the results are hard to argue with.

So how does it look compared to what we saw in the film? Well, it looks a lot better than the CGI in Justice League did. Not to mention that the story of the short trailer the crew put together feels more entertaining than the theatrical cut that sank the film into infamy. Telling a story of a Superman who loses his mustache thanks to the evil Steppenwolf cutting it off his superface, Mustache League is the proud fruit of Corridor Digital’s labors.

For the most part, it’s fun and games on display in the Justice League-themed video displayed above. But what’s becoming more apparent is the fact that through amazing programs and tools at the disposal of fans far and wide, the limits to what can be done by amateurs are starting to disappear. The results may not be perfect, but the mustachioed Superman of Henry Cavill looks a lot more natural than the finished CGI shown in Justice League.

Thankfully, by the time Zack Snyder’s Justice League rolled into town, the Last Son of Krypton looked a lot better in his clean shaven form. Those results are currently available in the HBO Max library, waiting for fans to stream all four hours of justice that are now released into the world. But don’t let the lack of subscription stop you from seeing it for yourself, as you can check out the discounted six month prepaid subscription offer that’ll let you see what’s stache-d away in the HBO streaming library.

Major spoilers below for the first episode of HBO's new series The Nevers, so be warned.

While Kate Winslet's acclaimed new drama Mare of Easttown falls on the realistic side of the fictional spectrum, HBO's other new female-fronted series The Nevers tells a much more fantastical story. Centering on an orphanage filled with ability-laden characters dubbed the "Touched," The Nevers is something of a Victorian superhero story, which speaks to it being the creation of MCU and DCEU vet Joss Whedon (for better or worse), who left the series mid-production. Instead of keeping audiences in the dark about the origins behind the Touched characters' turns, The Nevers dropped a doozy of a reveal on viewers at the end of its very first episode.

One of TV's most noteworthy April premieres, The Nevers' series opener introduced a massive ensemble cast led by Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly as Amalia True and Penance Adair, respectively, with so many of the main characters boasting strange afflictions that make them a controversial social issue. Those who don't appear to have any powers, from Ben Chaplin's huffy-gruffy Detective Frank Mundi to Pip Torrens' staunch official Lord Massen, are caught up in a series of gruesome crimes that link back to several of the less morally grounded within the Touched. And as viewers learned in the final minutes of the episode, all of the events were set in stone years earlier by a multi-colored spaceship that snowed down lifechanging sparkles that affected everyone they touched.

It was quite the mind-boggling reveal, especially considering Episode 2 didn't do much to clarify what the ship was or where it came from. CinemaBlend recently joined other outlets to interview multiple cast members for The Nevers, and I asked quite a few of the stars to share their thoughts about that big premiere reveal. Pip Torrens, whose character has a daughter that was negatively impacted by the ship's arrival over London, had only positive things to say about the early reveal:

Everything Pip Torrens said there makes a lot of sense. Even though The Nevers delivered an official explanation for why the Touched are as they are, there's a widespread lack of context for how things got from the spaceship's appearance to the narrative's most current timeline. We know it's had a massive influence on all tiers of society, but we aren't yet aware how much the characters know about the ship or their own physiology.

To that end, one might not be out of line for thinking that even the cast members are being kept in the dark about what it all means. Take this thought from Olivia Williams, whose regal Lavinia Bidlow runs St. Romaulda's Orphanage:

Actress Viola Prettejohn, whose Touched affliction is tied to language and communication, also spoke to the idea that the cast may not been 100% clued in on every detail fueling The Nevers' storytelling. In her words:

At this point in The Nevers' run, it's somewhat difficult to pull together fully coherent theories about what the spaceship could be, since its very existence is seemingly the only clue we have about it. I also don't have any concrete theories on why Mary's high-pitched singing is both maddening and intoxicating, but I presume it's what the spaceship's engine room sounds like.

Denis O'Hare, who portrays The Nevers' dastardly mad scientist Dr. Edmund Hague, sounds like he's 100% on board with whatever direction replacement showrunner Philippa Goslett wants to take things. Here's what he thought about the premiere's mysterious ending:

When one lays it all out there like that, The Nevers big reveal definitely sounds like a bonkers way to explain a city's citizens gaining superpowers. But I guess it's no more unlikely than people gaining powers from mutated genes.

Co-star Zackary Momoh, who plays the healer Dr. Horatio Cousens, followed up on Denis O'Hare's sentiments, saying:

While not a lot of TV shows end on magical, glimmering spaceships, The Nevers did successfully find various ways to convince audiences to keep tuning in from week to week. From Amy Manson's monstrous and endlessly watchable villain Maladie to the unexpected fight sequences to Penance's steampunk inventions, there are tons of elements that are worth revisiting, and that ship is certainly a big one.

Having celebrated its opening episode being the most-watched series premiere on HBO Max so far, The Nevers airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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Despite being released for a month, Zack Snyder's Justice League continues to dominate conversations in pop culture. Every frame from the four-hour streaming event has been dissected, especially regarding discrepancies with the 2017 theatrical cut. Cyborg actor Ray Fisher has also opened up about what it was like working on the film's controversial reshoots, and recently shared a story about pushing back on one Steppenwolf moment.

In both versions of Justice League, the titular team of heroes face off against Steppenwolf a number of times. In the controversial theatrical cut, the final battle sees Ciaran Hinds' villain tearing Cyborg's leg off. It turns out that this moment could have been more grisly, with the hero being ripped apart limb by limb. Ray Fisher pushed back on that idea, recently sharing:

In the years since Justice League hit theaters, it's been clear how much the character of Cyborg means to Ray Fisher. And when reshoots for the movie were underway, he made his voice heard regarding how much the hero's story was being cut down. It turns out he also advocated for the character's treatment during action.

Ray Fisher's comments to Empire further show what it was like working on the infamous production of Justice League. With Zack Snyder's vision finally realized, there are even more questions about how the movie was so greatly altered ahead of theaters. Fisher has done a number of interviews as of late, revealing his experience working on reshoots, and explaining his ongoing feud with Joss Whedon and members of the studio.

Both version of Justice League are currently available on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Zack Snyder has gone on record to call Cyborg the heart of Justice League, and that was certainly true when the Snyder Cut arrived last month. The four-hour version of the film greatly expanded the character's backstory, making his parents a major presence. And in the final battle against Steppenwolf, the hero also was able to retain his limbs.

Given how much Cyborg benefitted from Zack Snyder's Justice League, it should be interesting to see if Ray Fisher is given a future as the character. The Cyborg solo movie was seemingly scrapped after Justice League's disappointing theatrical performance, although he was originally going to have a role in The Flash movie. The latest reports indicate his role was reduced to a cameo, and Fisher might not be appearing at all. We'll just have to wait and see.

The next installment in the DCEU is The Suicide Squad on August 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

HBO has definitely become accustomed to having strong viewership, as the premium cable channel has produced a number of hits over the course of its history. Shows like The Sopranos, Entourage and The Wire were hits for the channel and, in recent years, Game of Thrones, Westworld and Succession are among the series to have led the charge. Of course, HBO just added a new original series to its roster in the form of The Nevers, and it looks like it’s already making a bit of history for the cabler’s streaming service, HBO Max.

The Nevers has reportedly gotten off to a strong start for HBO Max, as the show managed to draw in just over 1.4 million viewers across linear telecasts and digital, per Deadline. According to HBO, this marks the best premiere for a new HBO Original on HBO Max. For a bit more context, The Nevers’ premiere episode actually managed to surpass the viewership totals for the recent HBO premieres of dramas like The Undoing and Lovecraft Country. HBO also stated that viewership will likely increase due to additional telecasts and viewing across platforms.

Buzz surrounding The Nevers seemed to be high during its debut weekend, and it would appear that the numbers do indeed back it up. Given the creative power behind it, the show was highly anticipated, so the buzz and viewership may not be too surprising to some.

The Nevers is a Victorian-era sci-fi drama that centers on a group of women who gain extraordinary abilities after London is affected by a supernatural event. Those who possess these abilities soon find themselves in great danger, leading a widow and an inventor to team up to keep them safe.

The show was first reported to be in development at HBO back in 2018, with the idea coming from the mind of writer, director and producer Joss Whedon. The show marked the first television series in over a decade on which Whedon would serve as writer, executive producer and showrunner.

The drama would hit a bit of a speed bump when the COVID-19 pandemic would force production to shut down before filming on the 10-episode first season was completed. As a result, Season 1 is now being broken up into two parts, with the first consisting of six episodes. The show also underwent another behind-the-scenes change when Joss Whedon formally departed the series this past November. On his reason for leaving, Whedon said he was “genuinely exhausted” by the level of work needed to make a show of this scale during a pandemic.

It may be too early to say, but HBO may have another hit on its hands when it comes to The Nevers. We’ll be watching closely to see how it performs in the coming weeks.

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Ever since Zack Snyder’s Justice League became available on HBO Max, DCEU fans have been comparing and contrasting the two versions. Which moments in the film were Snyder’s and which ones Warner Bros and Joss Whedon added and subtracted from the theatrical cut after the Man of Steel director stepped away from the film due to a personal tragedy? While there are some obvious scenes that were changed or removed to look out for, such as a lot more screen time for The Flash and Cyborg, according to one of the film’s editors, even Snyder almost let a Whedon line remain in his film.

When the editors of Zack Snyder’s Justice League broke down putting together the 4-hour-cut on The Rough Cut podcast, Carlos Castillón remembered a moment when a Joss Whedon line almost sneaked itself in. In his words:

Yeah… that was the line. “You smell good.” The scene between Amy Adams and Henry Cavill’s Lois and Clark happens once the pair reunite after Superman is killed at the end of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Castillón continued to share how they caught the line:

Apparently, since much of the same team worked on Joss Whedon’s cut and Snyder’s, there was a bit of overlap on the sound side of things. It would have been an incredible amount of work for the sound team to throw away everything they worked on in Whedon’s version, so some sound layers were used, but often altered. That’s how “You smell good” almost made it in the film, but Snyder’s wife and producer, Debbie Snyder, caught the line, and it was changed to what Lois was supposed to say, which was “You spoke.” In both films, Cavill replies with “Did I not before?”

As the Snyder Cut editor pointed out, it doesn’t make sense for Lois Lane to be so concerned with Clark’s smell after thinking him to be dead. It’s just unnatural and odd. However, it does make some sense for Lois to be shocked to hear Cavill’s voice after she watched him get buried and then fight off the Justice League like a killing machine once they resurrect him with the Mother Box. The line has been made fun of since it came out in 2017 and, thankfully, the particular stench of that moment didn’t stick around for Snyder’s version.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is currently streaming on HBO Max. You can sign up for the service using this link and check out what’s coming down the pipeline for the DCEU with the upcoming lineup here on CinemaBlend.

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In the weeks since Zack Snyder's Justice League was finally released, it's continued to dominate pop culture. Fans have dissected every frame of the four-hour streaming event, while new campaigns have begun to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. And as the public celebrates this version of the movie, Cyborg actor Ray Fisher continues to speak out against how the studio and Joss Whedon handled reshoots. Now Cyborg comic writer David F. Walker has weighed on the "booyah" controversy.

One of the many allegations that Ray Fisher made about Justice League reshoots was regarding the addition of the character's Teen Titans catch phrase "booyah". The line wasn't in Zack Snyder's original script, and Fisher reportedly pushed back before being forced to shoot the footage which eventually made it into the theatrical cut. David F. Walker shared his experience after writing for Cyborg for the comics. As he explained,

Well, it looks like Ray Fisher isn't the only person uncomfortable with Cyborg's over the top utterances of "booyah." While Fisher fought against the catch phrase in Justice League, it seems that David F. Walker was similarly strong-armed into including it to Cyborg's adventures on the page.

David F. Walker offered his support of Ray Fisher on Twitter, in response to a recent long-form story about the actor's various allegations. In the story Fisher tells the story of clashing with the studio over saying Cyborg's catch phrase. He felt it didn't fit with the movie's version of the character, and equated it to Black icons in pop culture like Gary Coleman and Jimmie Walker. The actor was quoted in THR, saying:

While Ray Fisher was only able to share his feelings and experience during Justice League controversial reshoots, David F. Walker's echoed similar concerns about Cyborg's catchphrase. Both Fisher and Walker lost their respective battles over "booyah," although the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League restored the titular filmmaker's original vision for the hero.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is available exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Ray Fisher first made allegations against Joss Whedon back in 2020, and he's continued to make headlines since. While his performance in the Snyder Cut has been celebrated, Fisher continues to use his platform to take aim at various execs at Warner Bros.. Seemingly as a result, he's been removed from Ezra Miller's upcoming Flash movie.

While it remains to be seen how Warner Bros.' internal investigation plays out, Ray Fisher's latest interview has given new life to the ongoing controversy. The release of Zack Snyder's Justice League seemingly renewed interest on the subject, especially after seeing how vastly different Cyborg was handled in the two cuts. Fisher's character was truly the heart of the movie, and fans are going to be disappointed if his time in the DCEU is up.

The next installment in the DCEU is The Suicide Squad on August 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

It’s no secret Joss Whedon’s Justice League angered a lot of people when it was released. The 2017 theatrical cut of the DCEU team-up film has been the subject of protest for years leading up to last month’s Snyder Cut, which was made available on HBO Max following the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut online movement. Now that DC fans have had the chance to see the four-hour vision Zack Snyder had originally had planned for the beloved comic book heroes, the film’s screenwriter Chris Terrio is speaking out about his experience on the film.

Chris Terrio dropped a bombshell in a recent interview with Vanity Fair when he shared initial plans to ask Warner Bros to take his name off Joss Whedon’s Justice League after he viewed the cut that hit theaters in late 2017. In his words:

But, Chris Terrio did not follow through on removing his screenplay and story credit, which was shared with Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder for the 2017 release. Here’s why:

If the writer had followed through with getting his name removed, it would have burdened the crew of the film with going back through Justice League and making significant edits that could have incited even more drama around the release at the time. As Chris Terrio reflected in the interview, he believes if he had taken the next step to remove his name, it would have “created a whole wave of negative publicity” that would have hurt the actors and craftspeople who spent their time and effort on the movie as well.

Now that the public has seen Zack Snyder’s true vision for the movie on HBO Max, he feels much more comfortable having this public conversation. Well, because the differences between Warner Bros version and the Snyder Cut is readily available for fans to compare. Terrio shared his thoughts on Justice League now that the version he had intended to make is now out there:

The story certainly illustrates a strong dislike for Joss Whedon’s Justice League. At the time Chris Terrio had contemplated removing his own credit from the big-budget release, there was no way he could have predicted Zack Snyder finishing the work they started and Warner Bros deciding to release it to the public following a huge movement in support of their work.

And now that Justice League is available to view on HBO Max, tons of fans are campaigning for Warner Bros to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. Snyder and Terrio had plans to work on a three-film arc starring the Justice League and leading into the Knightmare future explored in the Epilogue of the Snyder Cut. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments related to the Snyder Cut, but until then check out the upcoming DCEU lineup here on CinemaBlend.

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In the weeks since its long-awaited release, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has continued to dominate pop culture. Fans were thrilled to finally see the titular director’s four-hour long vision for the project, and there’s already been calls to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. But there’s also been some controversy over the ongoing investigation and accusations made against the studio by Cyborg actor Ray Fisher. Some new reports have surfaced about the treatment of Gal Gadot during reshoots, leading the Wonder Woman actress to make an official statement on the matter.

While Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been praised as a superior version of the movie, there’s also been much conversation about what went down when Joss Whedon arrived on set for the extensive reshoots. The various allegations were recently laid out in a long form piece by THR, including reports that Gal Gadot’s career was threatened. Gadot herself responded in the article, saying:

While being careful not to give details about exactly went down, it seems that Gal Gadot did indeed have some issues while working with Joss Whedon on Justice League. What’s more, Gadot confirmed that she brought concerns to the studio at the time of reshoots.

According to unnamed sources in the report, Gal Gadot had concerns about how her character was being handled after her solo flick Wonder Woman. The actress didn’t confirm specifics about their conflict, but Gadot giving an official statement is sure to turn a few heads.

Both versions of Justice League are currently available on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Ray Fisher first came out about allegations of abuse against Joss Whedon and other execs at WB months ago. The Cyborg actor regularly uses social media to update the public on the internal investigation happening at the studio, and continue to share his outrage about the situation. A few other stars have thrown their support behind Fisher during that time.

As for Gal Gadot, she’s been mostly silent as the situation continues to shake out in a very public way. She recently reprised her signature role in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984, which was released on streaming. What’s more, fans were treated to her role in the Snyder Cut, which was greatly expanded from the theatrical version of Justice League.

Only time will tell how things will shake out with Ray Fisher and the studio. He was recently removed from Ezra Miller’s upcoming Flash movie. Cyborg was very much the heart of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, so fans are feeling more connected to Fisher’s character than ever.

The next installment in the DCEU is The Suicide Squad on August 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

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Superhero movies are everywhere, but Justice League has had a particularly unprecedented life. When Zack Snyder departed the film's set due to the family tragedy, Warner Bros. hired Joss Whedon to complete the project. The movie was greatly altered during reshoots, resulting in a project that failed to connect with audiences and critics alike. But The Snyder Cut is just days away, and the titular filmmaker has explained why he never publicly trashed the theatrical cut.

While Zack Snyder was still credited as the director of 2017's Justice League, the film was massively altered during Joss Whedon's reshoots. The theatrical cut was a failure critically and financially, so The Snyder Cut's release on HBO Max will offer the chance at redemption. Zack Snyder's Justice League will arrive shortly, and ReelBlend co-host Jake Hamilton recently asked how/why he managed to not trash the previous iteration over the years. In the director's words,

What a class act. While Zack Snyder no doubt had feelings about his movie being so greatly altered after he left the set, he kept those feelings largely to himself. This is partly because he had bigger things to think about, but also because he wanted to continue to support the all-star cast.

These comments come from the filmmaker's recent conversation with ReelBlend co-host Jake Hamilton about the impending release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. The question about the filmmaker's reaction (or lack thereof) over the 2017 theatrical cut helped to peel back the curtain on Snyder's perspective. Now that it's years after the fact he can reflect about that painful time in his life, while also celebrating the Snyder Cut's impending release.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will be available exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Indeed, the theatrical cut of Justice League was a far cry from Zack Snyder's original vision. A ton of characters were cut, as the filmmaker was doing world-building for spinoffs and sequels. The reshoots also added much more comedy, which is a concept that seemingly going to be absent from the Snyder Cut. That serious tone was certainly teased in the trailer.

Now after years of fan campaigns and crowdfunding, Zack Snyder's Justice League is nearly upon us. Snyder was given millions by HBO Max for the necessary editing, visual effects, and limited reshoots. But the director himself didn't accept a paycheck, further allowing him to retain full creative control. Fool him twice, after all.

It should be interesting to see how Zack Snyder's Justice League performs. Early reactions are glowing, which may indicate a positive reception for the streaming event. And if audiences connect with the movie and HBO Max gets a slew of new subscribers, it'll be interesting to see if any sequels occur as a result. Will the multiverse be officially open in the DCEU?

Zack Snyder's Justice League will arrive on HBO Max March 18th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

Firefly creator and prolific writer/producer/director Joss Whedon has experienced a wave of allegations about him from both film and television stars in recent months. While Whedon has made no comments about the allegations, others have come out against him. A Firefly writer commented on his alleged behavior on set after Charisma Carpenter’s allegations became known.

Along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Firefly is one of Joss Whedon’s most celebrated television series. One of the biggest writers on the series’ brilliant episodes was Agent Carter’s Jose Molina. But according to Molina, the beloved series has its problems. The television writer took to Twitter to make his own allegations about Whedon's on-set behavior. He spoke up about things that went on in the Firefly writers' room. Check out his allegations against Whedon below:

Jose Molina’s Twitter post made some accusations against Joss Whedon that fall in line with other allegations. Molina allegedly witnessed some inappropriate behavior against women on the set. But Molina’s allegations remain unconfirmed so far as no investigation has been launched against the director. Given the writer’s career post-Firefly, he was able to move on but never forgot his experience crafting a beloved series. Only time will tell if these allegations will be taken seriously and investigated.

Jose Molina’s tweet was one in a series of allegations launched against Joss Whedon in recent months. Molina’s post came just as Buffy and Angel star Charisma Carpenter spoke up about her alleged experience with Whedon while filming both series. After coming forward with her story, other Buffy and Angel actors such as Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar, Angel lead David Boreanaz and Eliza Dushku came forward to support Carpenter. Some castmates even spoke up about their own experiences while others choose to refrain from commenting for personal reasons.

Charisma Carpenter’s allegations came out in support of Justice League star Ray Fisher’s allegations against Joss Whedon, with Carpenter using the #IStandWithRayFisher hashtag on Twitter. But things between Fisher and Warner Bros have apparently broken down after the investigation results. It’s been reported that Fisher’s Cyborg was written out of the upcoming Flash movie with talks of the actor potentially leaving the DCEU. There were even reports that Warner Bros. knew how disappointing Joss Whedon’s cut of Justice League was before the film’s release.

With Jose Molina coming out against Joss Whedon, the allegations against the creator have grown even further.

Who knew what, and when did they know it? These are two lingering questions that members of the Release the Snyder Cut movement always wanted to know when it came down to the theatrical cut of Justice League, the one that was directed predominantly by Joss Whedon. That version was a complete disaster, and it betrayed the promise made by studio executives at the time that Whedon was hired to continue Snyder’s vision on the movie. Instead, Whedon reshot close to 85% of the film, and produced a version that was so dreadful, it inspired a three-year battle in the trenches to get the Snyder Cut of Justice League secured.

In a recent feature by Vanity Fair, though, it is made clear that Warner Bros. knew exactly how bad the theatrical cut of Justice League was, and for the first time, we get a quote from a studio executive (who asks to be left anonymous) throwing Whedon’s work on the movie under the bus. As quoted in the Vanity Fair article, this studio executive claims:

Now, this is one opinion, credited to an anonymous studio rep who is speaking out long after the dust has settled. Not exactly a profile in courage. But it speaks to the fact that at least some behind the scenes at Warner Bros. at the time could admit that the Justice League movie they peddled to DC fans was (checks notes) a piece of shit.

And it truly was. The examples singled out, especially the superfluous Russian family, are egregious decisions that damaged the overall impact of Justice League, and seemed to exist only for comedic value. The studio, at the time, wanted to go lighter and chase that Marvel Studios audience. That’s not what Zack Snyder delivers, and hiring Whedon to complete a Snyder movie made no sense on any level.

That’s why things went so poorly.

From this point on, it’s time to stop mentioning Josstice League. It’s an abomination, and while it’s generally important to remember the mistakes of the past (so as not to relive them), the Snyder Cut that is arriving on HBO Max on March 18 should forever be the real Justice League, in all of its four-hour glory.

Need a way to prepare for the Snyder Cut? I wrote a book that is dropping on March 1 titled Release the Snyder Cut, which documents the crazy fight waged by die-hard Snyder fans to convince Warner Bros. to make right on Snyder and release his cut. Click this link to pre-order the book right now.

The Justice League controversy surrounding Joss Whedon extended its borders to other franchises recently when Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter shared her accusations regarding her time working with the writer-director. The actress has received support from former co-stars like David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar, but one actor flat-out said he wouldn't be commenting. Well, not at the moment anyway, as actor Nicholas Brendon first needs surgery for an injury that's paralyzed his penis.

Brendon detailed his current situation in a 25-minute long video on his personal Facebook page and explained to fans that he didn't want to comment on what's happening with Joss Whedon just yet. The actor, who played Xander on the series and has struggled in the spotlight with several controversies, discussed the subject briefly but explained how he's not in a good place to talk about it at the moment:

Nicholas Brendon was co-stars with Charisma Carpenter throughout her entire tenure on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and the two later did a television movie called Relative Chaos that aired on ABC Family. With that being said, Brendon's statement, which isn't really a statement in fairness, only directly references Joss Whedon.

As it's not a statement and Nicholas Brendon has said he's not ready to make a statement, it's best perhaps to wait until he's ready to speak his piece on the matter, should he choose to do so. So far, he's dealing with some pretty nasty side effects to a slip and fall on the ice, which will hopefully be resolved with surgery:

According to an update on his social media, Nicholas Brendon just got out of surgery on Monday evening. The statement warned that he will be needing plenty of rest after surgery but will reach out to fans once he is feeling up to it. Safe to say he definitely has other things on his mind at the moment, and it may be best if he does not comment now with other things going on.

CinemaBlend will continue to update the situation on Joss Whedon as it unfolds. For more on what's been happening as of late, read up on what former Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku had to say to Charisma Carpenter following her statement.

Following Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter’s recent accusations of abusive behavior against Joss Whedon, many of her co-stars have come forward, either offering support or their own perspectives on the “toxic” environment he allegedly created. Now Buffy co-star and the lead actor of its spinoff Angel David Boreanaz has dropped his own comment on social media, expressing support for Carpenter and saying he’s proud of her strength.

The short post was made yesterday on Twitter, four days after allegations first went public. She also responded to Boreanaz, saying she appreciates all the support he’s given to her privately, “especially since Wednesday.” You can see the exchange below…

If nothing else, this quick back-and-forth is a good reminder for all of us that social media is only a small piece of a much larger picture when it comes to people’s relationships. There’s clearly more behind the scenes going on between these former co-stars, just as there was obviously a lot more going on behind the scenes on Buffy The Vampire Slayer then we knew at the time, especially as it relates to the less-than-ideal environment show creator Joss Whedon has been accused of facilitating.

Conversations around that work culture began on February 10th with a social media post by Charisma Carpenter. In it, she expressed support for Justice League star Ray Fisher, who has made his own allegations. The Buffy and Angel star also recounted her experience working with Whedon. She said the director consistently threatened to fire her, mocked her religious beliefs, berated her for getting a rosary tattoo, called her fat in front of crew members, accused her of “sabotaging the show” by getting pregnant and later followed through on his threats and fired her after she gave birth, among many other allegations.

Her initial post was followed by supportive ones from many of her co-stars. Amber Benson said she was telling the truth and the environment was “toxic.” Lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar released her own comment saying she doesn’t want to be “forever associated” with Joss Whedon, and Michelle Trachtenberg reposted it, saying his behavior was “not appropriate.” Showrunner Marti Noxton later released her own statement saying she supports everyone coming forward and understands where they’re coming from.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel mean a lot to millions of fans. It was a show that punched well above its weight class in cultural relevance, and it certainly punched well above its weight class in terms of fan dedication. You can tell from many of the comments released by cast members that they are deeply proud of the work they did and the connection they made with fans.

As for Joss Whedon himself, he recently stepped away from his upcoming HBO show The Nevers, citing “unprecedented challenges.” He was also recently at the center of a Warner Bros investigation over his role in alleged mistreatment on the set of Justice League, which he came in to finish after Zack Snyder left the project. Snyder’s own Cut of the that film is scheduled to be released later this year and already has its own trailer.

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer will likely continue to stay in the TV history books as one of the best series to ever exist, its creator's legacy has certainly been tarnished as of late. The alleged on-set behavior of Joss Whedon, who was also head writer on the fantasy hit, has now been called out by star Charisma Carpenter, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and several others standing by her, in the wake of similar disturbing claims by Justice League star Ray Fisher. Now, fellow Buffy and Angel actress Eliza Dushku has joined those who've offered emotional support to Carpenter after her Whedon claims.

It was just a couple of days ago that Charisma Carpenter, who was a major part of both Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff, Angel, with her role of Cordelia Chase, came forward with her supposed account of how she was treated by the writer / producer, especially while pregnant on the latter series. Carpenter claims that Whedon "abused his power on numerous occasions" during her time on both sets, and now yet another star who worked with him on each series has come forward to support Carpenter. Here's what Eliza Dushku, who played vampire slayer Faith in the franchise, had to say on Instagram:

Even though Eliza Dushku admitted in her post that she hadn't know anything about what Charisma Carpenter reportedly went through while working with Joss Whedon, it's obvious that Dushku supports Carpenter's decision to come forward with what she alleges are the specifics of what happened on Buffy and Angel. Unfortunately, these kind of alleged abuses are something that Dushku knows about personally.

Two bombshells dropped about the actress' time on separate projects in 2018. In January of that year, Dushku herself came forward with allegations that, while she was working on the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit True Lies at 12 years old, she was molested by the movie's stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. Then, in December of the same year, it was revealed (due to an investigation into former CBS chief Les Moonves and the overall "cultural issues at all levels of CBS") that Dushku was given a $9.5 million settlement by CBS after complaining about the on-set behavior of Bull star Michael Weatherly while she worked on the series, and then being fired.

Eliza Dushku wrapped her Instagram post by saying that it was her hope that others like Charisma Carpenter and Ray Fisher "feel the solidarity and connection you have likely missed for too long," because of being afraid to tell their stories, adding:

Hopefully, Eliza Dushku is correct, and more people coming forward with alleged abuse will, indeed, lead to profound changes where needed.

Since last summer, Joss Whedon has been embroiled in a controversy stemming from his work on Warner Bros.’ Justice League. Now, the producer and director is facing a different situation that involves his days on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy star Charisma Carpenter has now accused Whedon of “harassment” and misconduct while she worked with him on Buffy and Angel. Now, other stars, including Buffy Summers herself Sarah Michelle Gellar, have responded to Carpenter’s claims.

After Charisma Carpenter made claims against Joss Whedon in a lengthy social media post, Sarah Michelle Gellar took to Instagram to post a message of her own. In the post, she expressed gratitude for being linked to the Buffy franchise but said she wishes not to be associated with Whedon. She also expressed support for those who have spoken out on the abuse they’ve experienced. You can see her original message below:

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s post was followed by an Instagram post from former co-star Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Dawn Summers. Trachtenberg reposted Gellar’s sentiments and also included a caption in which she thanked her co-star for speaking out and made mention of Whedon’s alleged “not appropriate behavior”:

Amber Benson, who played Tara Mclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chimed in on the situation through a Twitter post. Retweeting Charisma Carpenter’s original message, Benson expressed support for her former co-star and referred to the set of Buffy as “toxic”:

Charisma Carpenter accused Joss Whedon of harassment on set, saying that he “abused his power” on more than one ocassion. She also alleges that Whedon insulted her while she was pregnant on the set of Angel and asserts that her pregnancy was the reason he ultimately fired her from the show. As of right now, representatives of Joss Whedon have yet to respond to Charisma Carpenter’s allegations.

In her post, Carpenter confirmed that she took part in Warner Bros.’ recent investigation involving Justice League, and she expressed support for actor Ray Fisher as well. Fisher, who made the initial claims of “gross” and “abusive” behavior against Joss Whedon, lent his support to Carpenter on Twitter after she came forward:

Charisma Carpenter and her former co-stars aren’t the only ones to make mention of Whedon’s behavior on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Jeff Pruitt, who worked as a stuntman on the show, previously accused Whedon of being an “egomaniac” and claimed that Whedon cost him job opportunities after he left the show.

Joss Whedon has found himself in the center of controversy as of late, with recent allegations alleging that he created a toxic environment while working on reshoots for Warner Bros.’ Justice League. But in the past stories have also surfaced from his days working as the creator and head writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, one of that show’s stars, Charisma Carpenter, is accusing Whedon of "harassment" and on-set misconduct.

Charisma Carpenter worked closely with Joss Whedon, as she played the role of Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff, Angel. In a lengthy Twitter post, Carpenter says Whedon “abused his power” on more than one occasion and says it increased her “performance anxiety”:

In the post, Carpenter goes on to allege that Whedon made “passive-aggressive threats” to fire her while they worked together. She also claims he called her “fat” in the presence of her castmates while she was pregnant. She describes him as being “mean and biting” and openly “disparaging about others,” among other things.

Within the various claims Charisma Carpenter makes against Joss Whedon, she recalls an instance in which Whedon allegedly “refused multiple calls” from Carpenter’s agents when she became pregnant. And when they did meet, the actress alleges that Whedon asked if she was “going to keep it.” Carpenter asserts that this led to her being fired from Angel.

The actress goes on to describe having to work long hours while she was pregnant on the show, which she says caused her to experience health issues. In the second part of her post, Charisma Carpenter mentions that she still “made excuses for” Whedon’s behavior despite the alleged “harassment.” But with the dawn of the Time’s Up Movement, she says she felt compelled to speak out.

At this time, representatives of Joss Whedon have not responded to Charisma Carpenter’s claims. The last public statement from the writer, director and producer was in regard to his departure from HBO’s The Nevers as showrunner.

Charisma Carpenter’s claims come on the heels of actor Ray Fisher’s allegations against Joss Whedon, who Fisher claims exhibited “gross” and “abusive” behavior on the set of Justice League. WarnerMedia eventually launched an investigation into the matter. In her post, Carpenter actually revealed that she participated in the investigation.

As mentioned, this is not the first time a Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum has made accusations against Whedon. Not too long ago, former stuntman Jeff Pruitt referred to Whedon as an “egomaniac” and alleged that the producer would later cost him career opportunities.

It remains to be seen how this story will develop, but CinemaBlend will keep you posted any updates as they arrive.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a place with plenty of surprises, and actor Paul Bettany certainly understands that firsthand. Because after voicing JARVIS for years in the MCU, Bettany was able to make his live-action debut when Vision came to life in Avengers: Age of Ultron. And it turns out that director Joss Whedon originally wanted the actor's signature Avenger to be anatomically correct during his introduction, complete with a penis.

Joss Whedon directed the first two Avengers movies, with the filmmaker's tenure in the MCU coming to an end with Age of Ultron. That blockbuster introduced a slew of new characters, including Wanda and Vision. Paul Bettany's hero appears more than halfway through the movie's runtime, making a dramatic entrance with his red and green skin on full display. Bettany recently shared the story of Whedon originally insisting that Vision's genitals were visible. As the actor put it,

Talk about some bizarre FOMO. Vision's entrance into the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron instantly found him as a member of the group, but it turns out that we could have gotten a far more NSFW version of this scene. At least if Joss Whedon's original vision was seen through. Luckily the filmmaker eventually came to his senses.

Paul Bettany's funny story about Avengers: Age of Ultron comes from his recent appearance on the podcast Lights, Camera, Pod. While promoting his leading role in Disney+'s new series WandaVision, the conversation eventually turned to his first live-action appearance in the MCU. It's an unbelievable behind-the-scenes scoop, and shows how much changes along the way when major blockbusters are in production.

Marvel fans can re-watch all of Paul Bettany's appearances in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Vision coming to life complete with an anatomically correct penis definitely would have been a bold adult departure for an MCU movie. What's more, it likely would have resulted in plenty of comparisons to Watchmen, and Doctor Manhattan's glowing blue private parts. In the end Joss Whedon changed his mind, and Vision's big entrance in Age of Ultron came sans penis. You can watch Bettany tell the story in the video below.

Vision's life seemingly ended in Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos ripped the Mind Stone from his head in the Battle of Wakanda. And while he was absent from Avengers: Endgame, Paul Bettany's time in the shared universe hasn't ended just yet. In fact, he is currently starring opposite Elizabeth Olsen in WandaVision on Disney+. We'll just have to wait and see exactly what the heck is happening with the hero in that mysterious series.

In total Paul Bettany appeared in a whopping six Marvel movies thus far, either voicing JARVIS or playing Vision. He's truly been there since the beginning with Iron Man, and has a special place in fans' hearts for that reason. But it's unclear if WandaVision will be the actor's final appearance, or if we'll be able to see Vision again sometime in the future. Only time will tell.

WandaVision is currently airing episodes on Disney+, and recently starred in Uncle Frank on Amazon. Be sure to check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

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Anyone who followed the making of 2017’s Justice League closely knows that while Zack Snyder directed the superhero blockbuster during its principal photography period, Joss Whedon was brought in to oversee the reshoots, during which time the movie was drastically changed. It’s been over three years since Justice League’s theatrical cut arrived in theaters, but that version of the movie has drawn renewed attention over Cyborg Ray Fisher’s efforts to shed light on Whedon’s “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” treatment of the cast and crew. Fisher most recently described the reshoots has a period full of “resentment” on the filmmaker’s part.

The Justice League reshoots wasn’t Joss Whedon’s first superhero movie outing, as he’d previously helmed The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While both movies were huge commercial successes, Age of Ultron didn’t earn quite the critical fanfare that its predecessor did, and according to Fisher, that factored into Whedon’s behavior on the Justice League set. As Fisher recounted during his appearance on Poindexter Lounge:

Joss Whedon certainly played a role with propelling the MCU to new heights of popularity with the first two Avengers movies, but it’s no secret that he had a harder time making Age of Ultron than The Avengers. This included Whedon clashing with Marvel executives about certain scenes in Age of Ultron, and it ultimately marked his final contribution to the MCU. Joe and Anthony Russo succeeded him for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

The Justice League reshoots unfolded a little over two years after Avengers: Age of Ultron was released, and as Ray Fisher sees it, Joss Whedon used the reshoots as a way to prop up his ego after the second Avengers movie wasn’t received as well as he wanted it to be. While Fisher had expressed support for Whedon taking over Justice League at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, at the beginning of this past July, he retracted his kind words, which kicked off the actor’s crusade to both inform the public how Whedon behaved during this time, and how others, like producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, enabled this behavior.

By late August, an independent third-party investigation was launched by WarnerMedia to investigate Ray Fisher’s claims, which officially ended a little over a week ago. Warner stated that “remedial action has been taken,” while Ray Fisher said that some of this “action” had already happened and there was “more to come.” Whedon also stepped away from his HBO series The Nevers last month, although at the time, he attributed this exit to being “genuinely exhausted” and wanting to “martial” his energy into his own life, which was on “the brink of exciting change.”

Should more revelations surface about Joss Whedon’s time on Justice League, whether they come from Ray Fisher or someone else, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which will unfold as a four-hour miniseries on HBO Max, is set to arrive sometime in the first half of 2021 (possibly March); use the following link to sign up for the streaming service. Learn what DC movies are heading to theaters in the near future with our detailed guide.

When bringing up Justice League, it’s important for one to clarify which version of the movie they’re talking about. Because while Zack Snyder initially directed the fifth DC Extended Universe entry and is finally bringing his full vision of that project to life for HBO Max, the Justice League that played in theaters was drastically altered during reshoots, which were helmed by Joss Whedon. That Justice League ended up critically and commercially underwhelming, and Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins is among the people who don’t care for this version of the movie.

Patty Jenkins recently stopped by ReelBlend to talk about Wonder Woman 1984, and during the conversation, CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell asked the filmmaker if she watched the theatrical cut of Justice League to see how Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince was handled. Jenkins responded with the following:

So while Patty Jenkins already tackles the Wonder Woman movies with a more self-contained approach rather than thinking too much about wider DCEU ties, she at least consulted with Zack Snyder about what he had planned for Diana Prince in Justice League, hence why she didn’t change Diana’s costume. However, Jenkins simply did not care for Joss Whedon’s version of Justice League, particularly because of the ways it contradicted with what she brought to the table in 2017’s Wonder Woman. Jenkins added that it was “hard” seeing Diana depicted in Justice League in a way that didn’t line up with how she envisioned the character.

From the extensive reshoots (which included the Mustachegate debacle) to the allegations that have come out in recent months that Joss Whedon treated the cast and crew unprofessionally and abusively, it’s clear that Justice League had a troubled production. Justice League’s performance also resulted in a sequel being sidelined and Warner Bros prioritizing standalone DC movies over more team-ups. Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been described as an “Elseworld” tale, so as far as the main DCEU continuity is concerned, it doesn’t look like Wonder Woman will be joining forces with her Justice League cohorts again anytime soon, if at all.

As far as Wonder Woman 1984 goes, the sequel picks up with Diana Prince 66 years after the events of the first Wonder Woman movie, with Diana protecting humanity in her costumed guise, but living a lonely life otherwise. Her world is turned upside down by the reemergence of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, who was thought to have died at the end of World War I, and she’ll also have to clash with Pedro Pascal’s Maxwell Lord and Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Minerva, a.k.a. Cheetah. In addition to directing Wonder Woman 1984, Patty Jenkins also co-wrote the script with Geoff Johns and David Callaham.

Wonder Woman 1984 will come out in theaters and on HBO Max December 25, and along with Wonder Woman 3 being in the works, Patty Jenkins is also working on an Amazons spinoff. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on both those projects, and browse through our DC movies guide to learn what else this superhero franchise has on the way.

Joss Whedon, the creative voice behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel’s first two Avengers films, is walking away from this latest project, a series titled The Nevers that he was creating for HBO. Crossing the genres of sci-fi and historical fiction, The Nevers was announced in 2018 and was aiming for a Spring 2021 release on the cable network.

In a statement released exclusively to CinemaBlend explaining his decision to leave The Nevers, Whedon said:

While Joss Whedon's departure from The Nevers may come as a shock to prospective viewers interested in the series, the show is stil on the way. HBO has released a statement regarding Whedon's decision, saying:

In a story posted to HBO at the time of announcement, Joss Whedon’s The Nevers was described with the following, fascinating plot synopsis:

It’s currently unclear how much work still needs to be completed on the HBO series, or if Joss Whedon’s departure spells the end of the project’s development process. We have reached out to HBO for clarification on the status of the show following Whedon’s announcement but have yet to hear back.

The Nevers was busy in its casting stages. As mentioned in the synopsis, Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly were tapped to play the leads, while the supporting cast rounds out with Olivia Williams, James Norton, Tom Riley, Ben Chaplin and Nick Frost. Speaking with the website Collider in October, Frost said of the show:

We’ll continue to track down news regarding a possible replacement for Joss Whedon as the writer, producer and showrunner on The Nevers, as well as potential news on the show’s 2021 release date. Keep it here on CinemaBlend for the latest, including a full run down of the latest TV schedules.

UPDATE: Ray Fisher has sent CinemaBlend a reply to the statement's provided by Joss Whedon's spokespeople. He said, "This is only a hair’s breadth away from Berg’s, 'Fisher was upset about booyah' defense. I’ve been trying my best to make sure that Joss Whedon and Jon Berg aren’t able to be thrown completely under the bus by the other guys. But when they make these half baked knee-jerk excuses publicly, they make my job a lot harder. I’m settling in with my family for the night. I’ll have a more in-depth response tomorrow.”

Two significant stories have dominated the headlines in 2020 regarding the Snyder Cut of Justice League, one very positive and the other decidedly negative. The first involves HBO Max stepping to the plate to fund additional photography for Zack Snyder to complete his cut of Justice League, a movie he had to step away from in 2017 due to a family tragedy. The new version of Justice League arrives on the streaming service in 2021.

The second, more disturbing, story involves allegations of abuse made by Ray Fisher regarding his time on the reshoots for Justice League, and more claims were added to the actor’s grievance list today. Fisher started raising concerns back in July of this year stating that Justice League replacement director Joss Whedon behaved “gross, abusive [and] unprofessional” on the reshoot sets. Fisher also accused Justice League producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of enabling the behavior. Fisher has demanded an investigation into the accusations, and when one was launched, the actor raised flags because he believed a campaign conducted by Warner Bros. Pictures would be one-sided, and unfair to him.

The argument being waged between Ray Fisher and the parties he’s accusing has been fought in public and litigated in the headlines, with reps from Joss Whedon, Geoff Johns and Jon Berg largely remaining quiet. After the most recent round of accusations, however, an anonymous spokesperson for Whedon pushed back on two specific claims leveled by the Cyborg actor.

Ray Fisher spoke with Forbes and laid out a few more claims regarding what he views as Joss Whedon’s decisions during the Justice League reshoots and post-production. Fisher blames Whedon for cutting multiple characters played by actors of color, including Kiersey Clemons (cast as Iris West alongside Ezra Miller), S.T.A.R. Labs technician Ryan Choi, and actress Karen Bryson, who played Fisher’s mother in the film, Elinore Stone. Fisher told Forbes:

A source close to the production spoke to CinemaBlend following those claims, however, and clarified that these characters had been removed from the Justice League cut long before Joss Whedon came on board as a substitute, and that it was not Whedon’s decision to remove any of these characters from the theatrical cut. They went so far as the argue that “the statement that these roles were cut by Joss is false.”

These same sources made this exact claim to CinemaBlend after Kiersey Clemons used the hashtag #IStandWithRayFisher back in September. According to their side of the story, Clemons didn’t do any work with Joss Whedon on Justice League, so they were unsure why the actress would take issue with the replacement director.

In the same Forbes story, Ray Fisher went on to claim that the catalyst for his current campaign to hold Joss Whedon, Geoff Johns and Jon Berg accountable for their “unacceptable” behavior was news he received that Whedon had the skin tone of a Justice League cast member altered. Fisher told Forbes:

Coloring from the Snyder Cut footage seen in earlier trailers and what ended up in the theatrical cut of Justice League are wildly different. The conclusion of the theatrical cut, in particular, shows a distinct red hue that wasn’t part of Snyder’s original film. But other scenes stand out for the way that backgrounds and tints change when footage fluctuates from Snyder holdovers to Whedon reshoots.

The Whedon spokesperson who spoke with CinemaBlend on the condition of anonymity addressed Ray Fisher’s claim of skin-tone alterations to Forbes, stating:

This marks the first time that Joss Whedon’s camp is choosing to address Ray Fisher’s claims of racially driven hostility towards the Justice League cast and crew during the reshoots for the film in 2017. Fisher went on to say in the Forces article that he will continue to reveal details about his allegations once the investigation into the matter, conducted by Warner Media, concludes. Fisher’s campaign isn’t only against Whedon. He’s attempting to hold several other key figures accountable for the actions he claims happened on the set of the Justice League reshoots.

We will continue to track this story, while also reporting on the development of the movie in question that started this – Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which is making its way to HBO Max in 2021.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

The DC Extended Universe has had a wild ride in theaters, especially the Justice League movie. When director Zack Snyder departed the set due to a family tragedy, Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to complete the project in time for its release date. What resulted was massive reshoots and a departure from Snyder's original vision. Ray Fisher played Cyborg in the ill-fated blockbuster, and has been publicly battling the studio after alleging toxic and abusive behavior from Whedon and other top execs. And now Fisher claims that the announcement of Ben Affleck's return to the DCEU also had ulterior motives.

Justice League was a box office and critical disappointment when it hit theaters in 2017, changing the trajectory of the shared universe in the process. Ben Affleck left his role as Batman shortly after, but was recently announced to be returning to the role for Ezra Miller's Flash movie. But according to Ray Fisher, this announcement was made pre-maturely in an attempt to silence his own messages about the studio. The 33 year-old actor took to social media to share this latest allegation, posting:

And so the situation continues. While the fandom was thrilled to hear that Ben Affleck was returning to the DC Extended Universe in the upcoming Flash movie directed by Andy Muschietti. But it was definitely surprising that this news broke so near to the DC Fandome, which provided myriad updates about its upcoming projects. Ray Fisher seems to believe this was done in order to dwarf one of his own viral tweets about Warner Bros.' investigation of his allegations.

Ray Fisher used his personal Twitter to make his voice known, with the actor often using social media to directly communicate with the public. This became especially true once he revealed his allegations against Joss Whedon and company. And while the Justice League actor limited in how much he's allowed to legally say, Fisher continues to use these platforms to give updates on the investigation.

DC fans can re-watch Ray Fisher's time in the DCEU on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

News about Ben Affleck reprising his Batman role in the Flash movie hit on August 20th, breaking the internet in the process. Meanwhile, the DC Fandome came just days later on August 22nd. During that virtual event the DCEU's future was spelled out, as footage and major announcements were made to the delight of the fandom. As such, Ray Fisher believes said news was meant to break during that same event, before the higher ups jumped the gun just days earlier.

This theory by Ray Fisher is just the latest of the Justice League star's posts about the ongoing situation happening at Warner Bros. While keeping the specifics of his allegations mum due to legal reasons, Fisher has been using his voice to update the general public on how that internal investigation was going. And that includes finding the ulterior motive to Ben Affleck's Batman announcement.

The Snyder Cut of the Justice League will hit HBO Max in 2021, including plenty of more footage from Ray Fisher's Cyborg. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your movies for next year.

Justice League’s Ray Fisher and Warner Bros. have engaged in a bit of a back and forth since Fisher initially made claims against director Joss Whedon and DC Films producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns. Most recently, Fisher claimed that DC Films President Walter Hamada spoke with him over the phone and allegedly tried to convince him to shift blame away from Johns and more towards Berg and Hamada. Warner Bros. later released a statement in which the studio claimed that no such phone call took place and asserted that Fisher was not cooperating with the investigation. Now, Fisher has responded to that claim.

WB’s claim was that Ray Fisher had refused to meet with the investigator assigned to the case. However, Fisher took to Twitter and asserted that he met with the investigator through a Zoom call on August 26th. In the post, he also included a screenshot of an email he sent to his management team and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA):

In a second post, Ray Fisher also stated that he announced last month that he would be vetting the investigator to ensure a “fair and protected” process:

As of right now, neither Warner Bros. nor WarnerMedia have responded to Ray Fisher’s recent comments. Before the studios’ most recent statement, the company had been relatively silent about Ray Fisher’s allegations. However, shortly after Fisher’s initial claims, Jon Berg shot down the allegations and claimed Fisher had an issue with saying Cyborg’s “Booyaa” catchphrase.

Fisher has been careful when it comes to what he can and can’t say about the situation, which is due to the fact that he is still subject to the Non-Disclosure Agreement he signed. Despite this, the actor has used social media to address his fans and keep them updated on the situation.

While the situation is already complex, what makes things even more difficult is that Ray Fisher is currently in negotiations with Warner Bros. to return as Cyborg in the upcoming Flash solo film, which is set to begin shooting next year. As far as we know, Fisher’s role would only be a cameo.

Both Fisher and Warner Bros. have clearly had no problem responding to each other’s claims and, with so many variables within the situation, it’s hard to say how much longer things will persist.

Be sure to keep it here at CinemaBlend for further updates on the situation and for more news from the world of film and TV.

Justice League may be generating buzz due to the upcoming release of the Snyder Cut, but it’s also garnered plenty of attention following accusations made by Cyborg actor Ray Fisher. Back in July, the actor accused Joss Whedon, who took over for Snyder after his departure, of behavior that he described as “gross” and “abusive.” He also claimed that Whedon was allegedly enabled by DC Films’ producers Jon Berg and Geoff Johns.This would eventually lead WarnerMedia to launch a third-party investigation into the claims.

Just the other day, Ray Fisher took to Twitter to say that DC Films President Walter Hamada reached out to him in an attempt to convince him to put most of the blame on Joss Whedon and Jon Berg and not Geoff Johns. However, WarnerMedia (via THR) is now refuting that claim:

The WarnerMedia spokesperson also alleged that Ray Fisher has not cooperated with the investigation and that “to date, Mr. Fisher has declined to speak to the investigator.”

What makes this situation even more complicated is the fact that Ray Fisher is currently in negotiations to reprise his role as Cyborg for a cameo in Warner Bros. and DC’s Flash movie. That project is set to begin shooting sometime next year.

Ray Fisher has been very vocal about the situation since first making the initial claims against Joss Whedon. In the weeks that followed, he also made more specific claims against Geoff Johns. In a social media post, Fisher claimed that Johns made a “thinly veiled threat” to his career when the actor and his agent apparently attempted to discuss problems with the powers that be.

Since Ray Fisher first made his claims, neither Geoff Johns nor Joss Whedon have spoken out publicly on the matter. However, Jon Berg did release a statement in which he shot down the actor’s claims, calling them “categorically untrue.” He also alleged that Fisher took issue with having to say Cyborg’s signature catchphrase, “Booyaa.”

At this point in time, Ray Fisher is limited in what he can say regarding his claims against Joss Whedon and the producers at DC Films. This is due to the fact that he’s currently still being beholden to a Non-Disclosure Agreement. In terms of the investigation, WarnerMedia has yet to disclose any specific findings, and there is currently no indication as to how much longer said investigation will continue.

It remains to be seen what will come of the situation, but one thing that can be said is that this Justice League situation will likely continue to develop as time goes on.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more news from the world of movies and TV.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

The DC Extended Universe has had a unique life in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. The franchise has also had a slew of surprises over the past year, including the announcement that the HBO Max would be funding the completion of the Snyder Cut. This new version of Justice League will be getting its first trailer at DC Fandome, and Zack Snyder has been teasing its arrival through brief clips and teases. And that includes poking fun at one specific line of dialogue from Joss Whedon's reshoots.

When Zack Snyder departed Justice League due to a family tragedy, Joss Whedon was brought in to complete the blockbuster in time for its intended release date. But in the process the film was made more comedic in large part thanks to reshoots, resulting in much of Snyder's original vision on the cutting room floor. The filmmaker previously revealed that none of the reshoot footage would be making it into his version of the movie, and that includes one line that he specifically pointed out on social media. Namely, Superman asking Batman if he bleeds.

Shots fired. It looks like that specific callback to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn't actually in Zack Snyder's script for Justice League. Instead it was added by Joss Whedon and the powers that be. And Snyder doesn't think the quick exchange even makes any sense.

This comment by Zack Snyder comes to us from Twitter, originally from an exchange the filmmaker had over on Vero. The director/writer regularly uses social media to directly communicate with the fans, especially regarding the mysterious contents of Justice League's Snyder Cut. Since his vision was altered so significantly, all eyes are on what type of movie will be coming to HBO Max next year.

The Snyder Cut will be available exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

The line in question originated fairly early in the runtime of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The two titular heroes come face to face after the Dark Knight was on a mission, and the encounter is thick with tension. Supes tells him to stand down, while Batfleck asks the Kyptonian is he bleeds, and promising to make him do just that.

Of course, this line of dialogue makes a bit less sense when the characters are reversed. While Superman only has vague memories at that point in Justice League, the Man of Steel definitely knows he could kill Batman in that moment. As such, it's one of the many moments from Justice League's theatrical cut that won't make it into the Snyder Cut.

The infamous line of dialogue is made more painful in Justice League due to the infamous visual effects used to erase Henry Cavill's Mission: Impossible-- Fallout mustache. So on top of the line not making a ton of sense, the strange CGI lip is an infamous part of the theatrical cut as a whole. And so #mustachegate began.

The Snyder Cut is expected to his HBO Max sometime in 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

As we get closer to the release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League on HBO Max, we’re likely to hear more details about what really happened behind the scenes on the theatrical cut of that movie… and how things went so wrong. We know that Snyder left the project following the death of his daughter, Autumn, who died by suicide in 2017. And we know that Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon, who changed almost everything about Snyder’s film.

But during his panel at the fan gathering Justice Con on Saturday, July 25, Zack Snyder was asked if he and his wife Debbie Snyder approved of the selection of Whedon as his replacement, and the director clarified:

Some of this is pretty obvious, in hindsight. Responding to the less-than-stellar reaction to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (both financially and critically), Warner Bros. executives wanted something that was closer in tone to what Marvel Studios was delivering. So they hired the man who had directed two Avengers films, and hoped that he could weave the same magic in the DCEU.

We all know how that turned out.

It’s disappointing because the company line that was given by WB executives, at the time, was that Joss Whedon was merely putting finishing touches on the footage that Zack Snyder had already shot, and that the movie still was going to be very much a Snyder film. His name remains on the movie as the director, a fact that many Snyder fans consider to be an insult.

And now we know that it was more of a committee decision to have Whedon take over the reins for Snyder on Justice League. And it likely occurred following a screening summit that also included screenwriters Andrea Berloff (Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton) and Allan Heinberg (Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman). Shortly after the studio show off Snyder’s footage to this small panel of screenwriters, Whedon was hired to complete the film.

Soon enough, fans will be able to see what Zack Snyder’s ultimate vision for Justice League would have been when his “Snyder Cut” of the film makes it to HBO Max. We don’t yet know when the movie (or, possible television series) will stream on the cable provider. But once we know the date that it will drop, we will be the first to report on it.

Zack Snyder has always been clear about how he feels about Justice League: he’s not a fan. From his conflict with Warner Bros. to the final cut, he’s gone on record saying he would have liked for basically everything about it to be different. And if you thought he might soften his stance now that he’s in full swing preparing for the Snyder Cut, you’d be wrong. In fact, he recently had a blunt response when asked about using Joss Whedon’s Justice League footage.

By now, the Snyder Cut is the stuff of Hollywood legend. After years of campaigning, fans were delighted to find out that HBO Max will be funding and releasing Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League. The director has been hard at work getting it ready and sharing updates with fans. He’s also opening up a bit about his mindset as he prepares to share the Snyder Cut with the world.

During a panel conversation with Justice Con, Zack Snyder spoke very (very) openly about how he felt about using Joss Whedon’s Justice League footage for the Snyder Cut:

We can safely take that as a “no,” then. His vehement answer doesn’t really come as a surprise, though. Zack Snyder has never been shy about his disappointment in the fact that Justice League was reworked and has not even watched Joss Whedon's cut. He’s also clearly not thrilled about the way in which his departure from the film was handled -- so it’s understandable if there’s still a bit of animosity.

It’s also likely good news for most fans who feel the same way about Justice League. For years, they’ve dreamed of getting to see Zack Snyder’s fully realized vision for the film, so knowing that everything on screen will be his footage is probably a relief. The director also recently shared a scene featuring Superman that has fans more eager than ever to see what he has in store for us with the Snyder Cut.

Meanwhile, Joss Whedon’s role in Justice League has been called into question a lot more in recent weeks. First, Ray Fisher spoke up about the way the director had treated the cast and crew on set. Then, Kevin Smith hinted that he, too, had heard that it wasn’t the best experience for everyone involved.

Ultimately though, the point of the Snyder Cut is that it isn’t about Joss Whedon or Warner Bros. It’s a chance for Zack Snyder to finally make the movie he wanted, regardless of anyone else that was involved. In a way, it’s like a clean slate. We’ll see what the seemingly Whedon-free Snyder Cut looks like when it premieres on HBO Max in 2021.

Joss Whedon hit headlines in a big way after Justice League star Ray Fisher accused him of “unprofessional” behavior during his time working on the film. These claims have led some to wonder about Whedon’s conduct on some of his other productions. Of course, one of his most notable works is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and one of the show’s alums, James Marsters, recently recalled a weird confrontation between him and the writer/director.

On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James Marsters played Spike, a vampire who was initially introduced as a villain during the second season before becoming an unlikely ally and love interest for Buffy Summers. Spike would quickly become a breakout character and would remain on the show far longer than intended.

However, James Marsters recently explained that Joss Whedon resented being asked to create the character due to the fact that he didn’t want another “romantic vampire” like David Boreanaz’s Angel. Apparently, Spike also contradicted Whedon’s goal to steer away from the trope of having physically attractive vampires. With this, Marsden revealed to Michael Rosenbaum on his podcast -- Inside of You -- that Whedon confronted him about his character, leading to a rather awkward conversation:

Marsters would go on to say that Whdeon wasn’t kidding and didn’t apologize for the incident. But he also added that Whedon wasn’t so much angry at him as he “was angry about the situation” that led to Marsters’ character being created.

It’s hard to deny that James Marsters’ story is a bit odd, to say the least. It’s one thing to be honest with your actor regarding the details of their role. But confronting him or her in that manner probably isn’t the best course of action.

While this is definitely a strange story, it’s far from the most controversial account of Joss Whedon’s beheavior on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Recently, stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt claimed that Whedon became difficult to work with as the show became successful. He also alleged that the writer caused him to lose employment opportunities later in his career.

All in all, James Marsters doesn’t appear to hold any hard feelings against Joss Whedon. Though he says he's not keen on reprising his role as Spike, he did tell Michael Rosenbaum that he would work with the Avengers director again if he was asked. We’ll see if the two reunite on a brand-new IP or on Whedon’s upcoming Buffy reboot.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is now available to stream on Hulu.

Since Justice League star Ray Fisher accused Joss Whedon of exhibiting “gross” and “abusive” behavior while working on the film, many have begun to question the writer/director. While Kevin Smith has somewhat added to Fisher’s claims, we still don’t know exactly what happened due to Fisher still being under contract. Now, in the midst of all of this, a stunt coordinator who worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer has claimed that Whedon was difficult to work with and even cost him career opportunities.

Jeff Pruitt worked alongisde Joss Whedon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer during its first four seasons before leaving the show. Pruitt told Metro.co.uk that he and Whedon initially had a firm working relationship but alleges that the writer became an “egomaniac” as the show’s popularity rose:

When it first premiered, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was considered by many to be groundbreaking when it came to stunts. At the time, many of the show’s biggest moments had not been attempted on the small screen.

While working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jeff Pruitt was also in a relationship with Sophia Crawford, who served as Sarah Michelle Gellar’s stunt double. Crawford, now married to Pruitt, also left the show before the start of the fifth season. Aside from Pruitt’s conflicts with Whedon, their departure was allegedly also due to Whedon wanting Crawford to break up with Pruitt.

Sophia Crawford told the trade that she enjoyed her time working on the series and that Pruitt and Whedon had a falling out, which she believes could have been resolved:

Pruitt also alleges that before he and Crawford departed the show, Whedon told them that “no one will ever hire” them after that. Pruitt went on to say he’s experienced instances in which he would be offered a job and it would “suddenly vanish.”

Since leaving the show, both Jeff Pruitt and Sophia Crawford have gone on to work on other projects. Pruitt has managed stunts on films like XXX: State of the Union and Straight Outta Compton and TV shows like The Originals. Crawford has also worked on TV shows ranging from Bones to ER and has served as a stunt performer in films like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Jason Bourne.

Keep it here at CinemaBlend for more news from the world of TV and film.

With the accusations that director Joss Whedon’s time on the Justice League film was accompanied with “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable behavior,” actor Ray Fisher is in the spotlight to provide more information as to exactly what took place which spurred him to rescind his support of Whedon. Fans would think that, after starting a campaign to bring to light these alleged acts, revelations from Fisher would be more forthcoming, but there’s a pretty important reason he can’t say anything at this time: he’s still under contract with DC and Warner Bros.

Ray Fisher has revealed as much during a recent Instagram livestream, where he fielded questions about not only whether he’d be at the upcoming DC FanDome event, but also if he was outside of the limitations of his Non-Disclosure Agreement. Presumably, the NDA in question is the one that he signed for his time as Cyborg on Justice League, and as Fisher revealed:

Liability is the keyword of the moment, as Ray Fisher is presumably still under all of his contractual obligations, because of the work he may have to provide for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as well as the potential solo Cyborg film that’s been in development for a while. While Fisher is definitely looking to pursue accountability for what exactly happened on the set of Justice League, there’s a fair and legal reason he can’t speak up just yet.

With that in mind, Ray Fisher is still definitely looking to talk about his Justice League experience. And though he can’t provide specifics to his fans, and the world at large, just yet, Fisher made the following promise to his followers:

You can bet that with a fandom as motivated as the one that brought Zack Snyder’s Justice League into the world, Ray Fisher’s quest to reveal the truth behind the scenes of Justice League won’t find itself silenced at any point in the near future. At this point, it sounds like it’s only a matter of time that separates the world from those stories. Especially when folks like Kevin Smith, who are in the know but aren’t bound by contractual strings themselves, are able to help lay the groundwork in the meantime.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be available to the world, on HBO Max, at some point in early 2021.

We are at a point where it feels like there’s never not going to be some kind of drama surrounding Justice League. As we move into a new era in which the Snyder Cut is actually a thing that’s going to happen, the attention has shifted back to Joss Whedon’s involvement in the film. Now, some key Hollywood figures, including Kevin Smith, are weighing in about the rumors surrounding a toxic environment on his set.

There have long been rumors about what went down, both on set and in the editing room, after Joss Whedon took the reins on Justice League following Zack Snyder’s departure. Some said he was instructed to basically redo the movie in its entirety. While the cast was mostly quiet about what actually happened on set, some cast members, like Ray Fisher, have been vocal about the fact that they weren’t pleased with the theatrical cut of Justice League.

Recently, Ray Fisher has spoken up in more depth about his time on the Justice League set -- and the man behind Cyborg has not had great things to say. Last week, he retracted an earlier statement about Joss Whedon being a “great guy” and then tweeted that the director’s behavior on set was “gross” and “abusive.” Now, Kevin Smith has spoken up on his FatMan Beyond show to give credence to Ray Fisher’s claims:

Though it’s important to remember this is hearsay, the anecdote that Kevin Smith shared definitely offers more insights into Ray Fisher’s perspective. The truth is that no one, except the people that were involved directly, can ever really know exactly what went down -- but at this point, it’s clear that Justice League wasn’t really a great experience for a lot of people.

It will be interesting to see whether or not more people start to speak up in the coming days and weeks - either to corroborate Ray Fisher’s claims, or to speak in defense of Joss Whedon, as Alan Tudyk has. The director himself has yet to make a statement regarding the allegations.

Despite the negative feelings that some of Justice League seem to hold, there are a few silver linings: Zack Snyder and co. seem excited to share the Snyder Cut with fans next year, and there’s now some buzz around Cyborg getting his own, Joss Whedon-free DCEU film.

After years of holding back, for reasons unknown, Justice League cast member Ray Fisher decided yesterday was the day to officially call out Joss Whedon for the way the replacement director allegedly treated cast and crew on the JL set. Fisher pulled no punches, using terms like “gross” and “abusive” in a Tweet that made the rounds. Following the statement, there was a renewed call in the fanbase for Fisher to receive the Cyborg solo movie he once was promised, and at least one director threw his arm cannon into the ring.

This was not the only Tweet linking Sleight and Sweetheart director J.D. Dillard to a potential Cyborg feature film. Oscar winner Matthew A. Cherry (Hair Love) also linked the genre director to the standalone Cyborg film, and somehow, it feels like the wheels are turning to make this movie happen.

How did we get here? Well, Justice League was meant to introduce characters like Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) to the DCEU, then spin them off into their own feature films. Momoa got his, and Miller is about to get his (if everything stays on track). But Fisher is still waiting for a continuation of his character, and nothing appears to be on the horizon as of right now.

By most accounts, Cyborg’s character arc changed the most when Joss Whedon took over for Zack Snyder in 2017. Snyder left the project for personal reasons, and Whedon conducted a series of reshoots to change the tone of the Justice League movie. Snyder has said on record that Cyborg is the “heart” of his story, and fans will get to see that restored version when Zack Snyder’s Justice League reaches HBO Max in 2021.

But what of the Cyborg movie? If Warner Bros. does decide to move ahead with it – and this could be announced at DC’s planned FanDome event, scheduled for August 22 – then JD Dillard would be a fantastic choice to helm the movie. Dillard burst onto the scene with his sci-fi street-magician thriller Sleight bowled over audiences at the Sundance Film Festival. He followed it up with Sweetheart, an isolation thriller starring Kiersey Clemons, that absolutely solidified him as a director to watch moving forward.

Hey, isn’t Clemons supposed to play Iris West in Zack Snyder’s Justice League alongside Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller?

Right now, though, we remain in a holding pattern. DC and Warner Bros. have a full slate of movies that they are developing, including Aquaman 2, Shazam 2, a Black Adam movie with The Rock, and Robert Pattinson’s interpretation of The Batman. These movies are branching away from the universe created by Zack Snyder, except for Ezra Miller’s The Flash… which is supposed to be a Flashpoint story, and could introduce a multiverse. Is there a new Cyborg movie waiting in that multiverse? Or could HBO Max open the door for Cyborg and Ben Affleck’s Batman movies to land on the streaming platform? There’s a world of potential, so let’s see how it all plays out.

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