‘The Flash’ Being Scrapped Is Reportedly Not off the Table Due to Ezra Miller’s Legal Troubles
The Flash concept art
Even though most Warner Bros. insiders have insisted over the past week that The Flash is very safe, despite Ezra Miller’s widely reported behaviors on and off set, a new story by The Hollywood Reporter may indicate otherwise.
According to THR‘s sources, Warner Bros. is considering three scenarios as they prepare for the global rollout of DC Films’ biggest movie in years:
- A normal theatrical release with Ezra Miller playing a limited role on the press tour: for this to happen, the actor will have to seek professional help after they return to their farm back in Vermont. They will also have to give a public interview where they address their erratic behavior over the past few years. This is the best possible scenario right now.
- A normal theatrical release without Ezra Miller in the marketing campaign: this will happen if Miller does not seek help. While there are no specifics regarding this, it’s possible that WB would focus their marketing efforts on Michael Keaton’s return as Bruce Wayne/Batman 31 years after the release of Batman Returns. Sasha Calle, who plays Supergirl in the film and who is a key player in the plot, could also benefit from this strategy, as she could potentially be marketed as the co-lead of the picture.
- The total cancellation of The Flash: this was brought up a lot shortly after the announcement of Batgirl‘s cancellation, and while many insisted that it was not an option for WB, it seems like it actually is. This is the worst-case scenario, and Warner would only go through with it if Ezra Miller’s erratic behavior not only doesn’t cease but actually gets worse. Miller plays multiple characters in the movie, so a recast of the character is not an option, as the actor is in practically every scene. If this happened, WB would be moving even deeper into unprecedented territory, scrapping a near-$300 million blockbuster that employed thousands of people and could boost many people’s careers, both in front of and behind the camera.
We should keep in mind that none of these scenarios are equally likely, and WB is probably just keeping their options open in case Miller is on the press next month after getting arrested for murder.
Ezra Miller in The Flash
Ezra Miller made the headlines once again earlier this week, after it was reported that on May 1st, the actor had broken into an unoccupied dwelling and stole several bottles of alcohol. An investigation by the Vermont State Police concluded there was probable cause to charge the actor, and according to the Vermont State Police press release, the actor was finally located on Sunday, August 7, and issued a citation to appear in Vermont Superior Court Bennington Criminal Division on September 26.
This came out on Monday, and two days later, Rolling Stone published a story where they said that Vermont’s child services were looking for a mother and her three children (aged one to five) who had allegedly been residing on Miller’s farm in that state since mid-April, under extremely unsafe conditions for children that include uncontrolled guns lying around the house and a one-year-old putting a loose bullet in her mouth. According to the story, officials are concerned that Miller is hiding their whereabouts, and are trying to serve the mother an emergency care order. Apparently, Miller met the mother and the three children back in Hawaii and brought them back to their 96-acre Vermont farm, to help them escape from the mother’s “violent and abusive ex”, according to her. She also described their new environment as a “healing heaven” for the family.
From the story published this week:
“Over the weekend, Vermont State Police repeatedly attempted to serve the mother an emergency care order that demanded the children’s removal from her care and the home over fear for their safety. But Miller claimed the family hasn’t lived there in months, which the Vermont State Attorney’s office said seemed like an attempt to “evade service” of the order, according to the court document obtained by Rolling Stone.”
That same publication posted a story on Miller’s behavior on the set of The Flash earlier this year, where they cited a source that claimed the actor had frequent meltdowns during production. Moreover, the actor was caught on video in April 2020 choking a woman in Iceland, but the story doesn’t end there. On March 28, 2022, Miller was arrested in Hawaii for disorderly conduct and harassment. A couple of days later, it came out that, on the 29th, a couple from Hawaii had filed a restraining order against Miller after the actor broke into their bedroom and threatened them, saying “I will bury [sic] you and your slut wife.” Allegedly, Miller also stole the woman’s passport and the man’s wallet.
In April, Miller’s ex, Mia Solange, posted a viral TikTok video where they accused Miller of being an abuser. In June, the parents of Tokata Iron Eyes, a Standing Rock activist that also goes by the name of Gibson and who Ezra Miller met when Gibson was 12, claimed that the actor had brainwashed and groomed their now-18-year-old child. The mother accused Miller of leaving bruises on Gibson’s arms and cheeks, restricting access to their phone, and verbally abusing them. According to Business Insider, Miller also hurt the mother in the arm so bad she had to seek urgent care. Gibson, shortly after the allegations were made, accused their parents on social media of transphobic behavior and defended Miller.
Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle in The Flash
A few weeks later, a mother in Massachusetts obtained a temporary harassment prevention order against Miller for her and her 12-year-old daughter, after Miller threatened the family one evening and acted inappropriately toward the kid. A report by Variety revealed that a woman in Germany accused Miller of harassment, and a blockbuster story by Business Insider (linked earlier) revealed shocking details about the actor’s recent activities.
This included accusations of Miller running a cult from an Airbnb in Iceland in 2020 during a two-month period in which they walked the streets barefoot, 14 witnesses that had had recent interactions with Miller “in which the actor exhibited frightening emotional outbursts, carried firearms, or left them feeling unsafe”, accusations of Miller looking for impressionable young women and nonbinary people they could isolate from their families and control (and in some cases, have sexual relationships with), accusations of Miller driving around the US for the past six months “carrying at least one gun and wearing a bulletproof vest, paranoid about being followed by the FBI and the Ku Klux Klan”, and concerns from people close to the actor about their state of mind, saying they have lost touch with reality, among other things.
The Hollywood Reporter said in a story earlier this week that The Flash underwent scheduled, regular reshoots earlier this year, which featured Miller. Apparently, the actor did not cause any trouble on set this time around. Multiple insiders have repeatedly said that the movie is testing well with audiences and that the studio is more than happy with the work Andy and Barbara Muschietti, Christina Hodson, and the entire cast have done.
Miller will next be seen in the upcoming Daliland, starring Ben Kingsley. They will play a younger version of Dalí in the movie, which will close the Toronto International Film Festival — an official TIFF listing left Miller’s name out of the ensemble, though The Hollywood Reporter has verified they are still in the movie.
This is by far Warner Bros. Discovery’s biggest concern regarding their theatrical schedule. We will see how it turns out, but hopefully, it won’t end in another major production being scrapped, and the work of thousands of people thrown out the window just because of one individual whom Warner Bros. didn’t have the courage to fire when hell started to break loose.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
