Warner Bros. reportedly is trying to figure out what to do with Ezra Miller, the star of the studio’s $200 million production “The Flash.”
The film is already completed and set to hit theaters on June 23, 2023. But Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, has become the center of legal trouble as of late, a point of contention that may affect the release date.
“The Flash” didn’t have the same fate as the $90 million “Batgirl,” another DC superhero film that was shelved by Warner Bros. earlier this month. “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt,” a sequel to the 2020 “Scoob!”, won’t be released by the studio, either.
Miller first took on the role of the Flash in 2014 for “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” After years in development, the actor’s solo film was off the ground, with filmmaker Andy Muschietti attached as the director. “The Flash” is expected to feature both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as two Batmans.
“It’s a huge investment, and the last thing Warner Bros. wants to do is have this (movie) go away,” Gary Rosen, a crisis management PR expert, told People magazine. “For this to go on the shelf would be an enormous loss. I would think they want this movie to come out. And since it’s not scheduled to come out until June 2023, there’s time.”
“If I were advising Ezra, I’d say to keep a very low profile. What you want is for this story and the negative attention on it to go away so that hopefully by the time this movie is ready to premiere, everyone will have forgotten about all of this bad stuff,” Rosen added. “As the Flash says, though, there are some things you can outrun, but some things always manage to catch up to you.”
What is Warner Bros. planning to do with Ezra Miller and ‘The Flash’?
According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is considering three scenarios right now.
- Miller seeks professional help in Vermont and at some point, gives an interview explaining their behavior as of late. With limited press, the movie could still have a swift theatrical release.
- Release the film but reduce Miller’s role in marketing and publicity, while casting someone else to play the Flash in the future.
- The situation becomes worse and the studio considers shelving the costly movie.
So, what did Ezra Miller do? Here’s a timeline
Miller was charged with “the offense of felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling” earlier this week. This is the latest of Miller’s latest run-ins with the law.
- It started in April 2020, when a video surfaced in which Miller appeared to be choking a woman at a bar in Iceland, Variety reported.
- In March of this year, they were arrested in Hilo, Hawaii, and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment after they got aggravated when the bar they were at played Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s ballad “Shallow.”
- That wasn’t the only complaint the police got, with Miller as the reason behind “at least 10 calls since March 7, mostly for minor offenses like filming people at a gas station, refusing to leave the sidewalk area of a restaurant, and arguing with people,” according to Nylon.
- This is around the same time two Hawaii residents filed for a temporary restraining order against Miller, after the actor reportedly entered the couple’s room and threatened them.
- In April, they were arrested for assaulting a 26-year-old woman with a chair, hitting her head and resulting in a cut half an inch big, according to a report from the Hawaii Police Department.
- Shortly after, outlets reported that Chase Iron Eyes and Sara Jumping Eagle accused Miller of “psychologically manipulating, physically intimidating and endangering the safety and welfare of Tokata Iron Eyes,” their 18-year-old daughter, and were seeking to obtain a protective order, according to court documents acquired by the Los Angeles Times. Their petition, filed in June, also stated that the actor gave the teenager alcohol and drugs.
- The same month, the court also granted the family of a 12-year-old in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a protective order against Miller after the actor reportedly harassed the family, returning to the house multiple times and making the child feel uncomfortable.
- Rolling Stone reported in late June that Miller was housing a mother, 25, and her three children at his farm in Vermont. The story stated that the house had unattended guns and bullets as well as marijuana use.