Joss Whedon threatened to harm Gal Gadot's career if she didn't say the lines he wrote for 'Justice League,' report says
- Whedon said he would harm Gadot's career, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Gadot and the "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins then reportedly "went to battle" with Whedon.
- Gadot told THR: "I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner."
More details are surfacing about what actors went through on the set of "Justice League" after controversial director Joss Whedon took over.
The Hollywood Reporter detailed a clash between Whedon and Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, in a feature story published Tuesday. Sources said Gadot pushed back on lines Whedon wanted her to say, which they said led to him threatening to harm Gadot's career.
"Joss was bragging that he's had it out with Gal," a witness on the set told the publication. "He told her he's the writer and she's going to shut up and say the lines and he can make her look incredibly stupid in this movie."
Representatives for Whedon and WarnerMedia did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Citing a knowledgeable source, THR said that Gadot and "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins "went to battle" with Whedon, which led to a sitdown with then-Warner Bros. Chairman Kevin Tsujihara.
Gadot told THR in a statement: "I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner."
Whedon took over the directing reins of "Justice League" after its original director, Zack Snyder, left the movie because of the death of his daughter.
"Cyborg" actor Ray Fisher first brought attention to Whedon's behavior, saying in a July 2020 tweet that the director's behavior on set "was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable."
It led to a WarnerMedia investigation into the allegations. It concluded in 2020 with no public details except that "remedial action" was being taken.
But since then, more stories have surfaced about Whedon's behavior on set. Those who have spoken out include Jason Momoa, who plays Aquaman, and Gadot, who in December told the Los Angeles Times that working with Whedon "wasn't the best."
Before the release of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" on HBO Max, Deborah Snyder, Zack's wife and producing partner, told Insider that before the original theatrical release of the movie in 2017 she reported an on-set incident involving Whedon to the studio.
"There was one incident I was aware of that I had reported back to the studio right before the movie came out," she said. "I went to the higher-ups that someone came to me about Joss."
"I think it was resolved in a way that the person was happy with," Snyder said. "That's all I can really say."
WarnerMedia confirmed Snyder's statement to Insider but had no further comment. Representatives for Whedon declined to comment at that time.
Despite Gadot saying that her situation with Whedon was "handled," her Wonder Woman character in the 2017 release of "Justice League" still seemed to be shown in a poor light.
In one scene, The Flash (Ezra Miller) awkwardly falls onto Wonder Woman's breasts. In another shot, her backside is center in the frame.
As Insider's Kirsten Acuna pointed out, neither of those shots are in "Zack Snyder's Justice League."