Is Joss Whedon heading towards retirement? Drink all the tea with us

2020 has been a tough year for celebrities – and we’re not saying that just because of the ongoing pandemic. This year we have witnessed many A-list celebrities’ fall from grace, and it looks like Joss Whedon is another casualty. 

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator’s reputation took a nosedive after allegations of his inconsiderate behavior on set came to light. Keep on reading to find out why Whedon might be gearing for early retirement.

Whedon called out for his workplace conduct

Joss Whedon’s popularity took a tumble when Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg in Justice League, accused him of exhibiting “gross, abusive, unprofessional” behavior on the sets of Justice League. Whedon took over the directing duty from Zack Snyder for the post-production of the Justice League movie set in the DCEU.

Fisher tweeted saying “Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable”. In the same tweet, he blamed DC executives Geoff Johns & Jon Berg for enabling Whedon’s behavior. 

Following the serious allegations, Warner Bros. launched an independent third-party investigation to sift the evidence concerning the allegations of misconduct on the sets of the Justice League film.

More allegations

Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman in the Justice League, backed up his costar’s claims and urged the higher-ups to take rightful action. The Baywatch veteran took to Instagram to show his support for Fisher and wrote: “THIS SHIT HAS TO STOP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT”. He completed the caption with #IStandWithRayFisher, making his stance clear.

This isn’t the first time Joss Whedon’s reputation’s been dragged through the mud. People have been questioning his character since Whedon’s ex-wife Kai Cole published an explosive piece on The Wrap. Whedon has been outspoken about his feminist beliefs, but his ex-wife called it all a front. She accused him of using his feminist rhetoric as a facade and called him a “hypocrite preaching feminist ideals”.

Whedon exits The Nevers

The ongoing battle between Fisher & Joss Whedon took center stage yet again when the latter announced that he’ll be exiting the upcoming HBO series The Nevers. The Avengers: Age of Ultron filmmaker had been working on the science fiction series The Nevers for about two years now with Outlander star Laura Donelly. 

Joss Whedon said he’s “exhausted”, choosing to step away from the project because of the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. In a conversation with Cinemablend Joss Whedon explained: “This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined, and while developing and producing The Nevers has been a joyful experience”.

“I realize that the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer. I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change.” 

Joss Whedon added: “I am deeply proud of the work we have done; I’m grateful to all my extraordinary cast and collaborators, and to HBO for the opportunity to shape yet another strange world. The Nevers is a true labor of love, but after two plus years of labor, love is about all I have to offer. It will never fade.” 

HBO’s remarks 

HBO also put out a statement addressing Joss Whedon’s departure from The Nevers. “We have parted ways with Joss Whedon. We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere,” said the spokesperson of the network. 

After the news broke of Joss Whedon exiting the show, Ray Fisher took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the separation. He tweeted: “I have no intention of allowing Joss Whedon to use the old Hollywood tactic of “exiting”, “stepping down”, or “walking away” to cover for his terrible behavior. WarnerMedia’s JL investigation has been in full swing for over 3 weeks now. This is undoubtedly a result of it.” 

Although Joss Whedon was the driving force behind some of the best movies & TV shows to date, the allegations against him cannot be taken lightly. Whether he genuinely parted ways with The Nevers or was ousted to cover up his alleged appalling behavior, we may never know.

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It appears Hollywood is paying heed to the thunderous denunciations and howls of outrage against Joss Whedon by distancing from him, even if it’s to avoid bad press. What are your thoughts on the controversy surrounding Joss Whedon? Let us know in the comments!