Ezra Miller’s Legal Issues Put ‘The Flash’ At Risk of Cancellation
Ezra Miller’s offscreen behavior has become a liability to Warner Bros. They’re not above cancelling the actor and the movie.
Miller joined the DC Extended Universe in 2014, which also saw the announcement a Flash solo movie. They’ve been Barry Allen/The Flash in three movies since – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and both Justice League cuts. A lot has changed at DC in eight years. Walter Hamada took over and reorganized the studio’s theatrical releases after Zack Snyder was unceremoniously pushed out.
The Flash’s story went through changes, as well. Eventually it settled as an adaptation of the Flashpoint storyline, which would being back both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as versions of Batman. Things were falling into place. Then Ezra Miller decided to do some things in their off screen life that puts the project in jeopardy.
via Warner Bros.
Ezra Miller’s Legal Issues
If you haven’t been paying attention to the news over the last few months, Miller has gotten into a lot of legal trouble. They were arrested in Hawaii twice for disorderly conduct and accused of threatening some people in a karaoke bar and stealing a passport. Several women have spoken out accusing them of abuse, including putting one of them in a chokehold.
Miller has been accused of several very disturbing things. This includes giving illegal substances to an underaged boy, and grooming multiple women and non-binary people. They’ve also been accused of running a cult. The most recent crime – last week he was held for breaking into a home and stealing several bottles of alcohol. They’ve been charged with a felony as a result.
Miller has shared some questionable photos on social media with alleged victims, as well.
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What Are Warner Bros. Options?
All of this is a PR nightmare. The Warners have to figure out what to do with the actor. They’ve been hoping that things would calm down, but Miller’s behavior has just escalated and they’ve racked up more legal charges. There’s the possibility of trying to repair the actor’s image, but it’s really past that point when Miller has been accused of kidnapping. Another option is to release the movie and recast for future movies, which has been brought up by fans on social media.
The studio has recently stated that total cancellation isn’t off the table, though. The new leadership has shown they’re not against shelving projects right now, but this is a $200 million tentpole feature film. The current Warner Bros. Discovery CEO has expressed excitement about making the movie available to fans. We’ll see how long that lasts.
The Flash is currently scheduled to hit theaters on June 23, 2023.
