Ezra Miller May Still Have A Future As ‘The Flash’ Despite James Gunn Shakeup

Ezra Miller

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It’s been a wild year over at Warner Bros. The big Discovery merger has seen all sorts of mad shakeups, including the decision not to release Batgirl even on streaming despite being finished. Numerous shows have been cancelled at HBO, including Raised By Wolves and Westworld, and some of these shows have been removed entirely from HBO Max, all part of a cost-cutting overhaul and tax write-off scheme designed to keep the company in the black.

In the DC division, James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over and are planning to usher in a new era for DC films, TV and animation. This has led to some major controversial decisions, including firing Henry Cavill from his role as Superman—a role he returned to briefly for a post-credits scene in The Rock’s first DC outing, Black Adam.

The Rock himself saw his superhero star on the rise, only to have it come crashing back down to earth when Gunn and Safran took over. A new report from Variety details just how hard Dwayne Johnson pushed not only to star in his own blockbuster, but to shape the future of the DC cinematic universe around a rivalry between Black Adam and Superman—a cool concept, other than the fact that Black Adam simply wasn’t a very good movie and underperformed at the box office. Had it been a smash hit—something I believe a better script might have achieved given Johnson’s star power—we might be having a totally different conversation. It sounds as though Johnson may have ruffled one too many feathers in the process.

In any case, with Cavill out and the future of many other DC superheroes—and stars—uncertain, one paragraph in particular leaps out from the Variety report. It’s about Ezra Miller, who we’ve met previously as the Flash in Batman vs. Superman and The Justice League, and who will star in the upcoming film The Flash this June:

As for what else Gunn and Safran have planned for DC’s future, sources describe it as a broad but not blanket reset. At this point, nothing is ruled out. Given that Miller has stayed out of trouble since beginning mental health treatment in the summer, some executives are amenable to continuing with the actor as the world-saving speedster after “The Flash” bows on June 16.

Miller, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, has a rap sheet that goes beyond the usual coked out celebrity controversies we’ve seen in the past. Miller was arrested for cannabis possession in 2011, and then managed to avoid controversy for nearly a decade. Then, in 2020-2022 Miller spun out of control, and the actor’s actions during this time period should make everyone question whether they have any place in the future of the DC cinematic universe, while Cavill, Johnson and even Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman apparently do not. A timeline:

In April of 2020, Miller choked a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland. Video of the assault surfaced online. Apparently some joking turned ugly and “a serious altercation at the bar” occurred. Assaulting women at bars seems like exactly the kind of thing the #MeToo movement aims to put an end to. It’s certainly unbecoming of a Justice League member.
In January of 2022, the actor made an Instagram video threatening members of the Ku Klux Klan of North Carolina. Obviously, nobody cares about the KKK but the video itself calls into question Miller’s mental wellbeing. “Look, if y’all want to die, I suggest just killing yourselves with your own guns. OK?” Miller said in the video. “Otherwise, keep doing exactly what you’re doing right now — and you know what I am talking about — then, you know, we’ll do it for you, if that’s really what you want. Talk to you soon, OK. Bye.” The caption of the video read: “Please disseminate (gross!) this video to all those whom it may concern. This is not a joke and even though I do recognize myself to be a clown please trust me and take this seriously. Let’s save some live [sic] now ok babies? Love you like woah.” Wild.
In March of 2022, Miller was involved in a confrontation at a bar in Hilo, Hawaii. People were singing Karaoke and apparently he became agitated and started yelling at people. “Miller began yelling obscenities and at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts,” the police stated after the incident. “The bar owner asked Miller to calm down several times.” Miller was fined $500 for disorderly conudct.
During the same month in Hilo, a couple filed a restraining order against Miller who allegedly burst into the bedroom of one of the petitioner’s and threatened them, telling them “I will bury you and your slut wife” before absconding with a number of their personal possessions, including a social security card and wallet. The couple requested that the restraining order be dismissed two weeks later.
In April of 2022, things get worse. Miller is arrested on second-degree assault charges on April 19th. Per the police report, it appears that Miller was asked to leave by a 26-year-old woman and threw a chair at her, leaving a half-inch cut on her forehead. Are you tallying the assaults against women at this point? You probably should be.
In June of 2022—a busy year for Miller!—two members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe accused Miller of grooming their daughter from the age of 12, saying that he had a “pattern of corrupting a minor,” that he drugged their daughter over the years and that he displayed a “cult-like and psychologically manipulative, controlling behavior.” Taken by itself, it’s the parents word against Miller’s (the daughter has backed Miller and accused their parents of manipulation) but this isn’t the only accusation of grooming.
Also in June of 2022, a mother in Greenfield, Massachusetts sought a temporary harassment prevention order against Miller, alleging that the actor “menaced their family one evening in their downstairs neighbor’s home and acted inappropriately toward” her child, who is 12. The order was granted and Miller deactivated their Instagram account shortly after.
In August of 2022, Miller was accused of burglary in Vermont. Apparently Miller stole several bottles of alcohol from a home and surveillance footage gave police enough probable cause to charge the actor with felony burglary. The house was unoccupied at the time. Miller has pleaded not guilty.
The last entry is perhaps the weirdest of all. Miller had a 25-year-old woman and her three children living with them on their Vermont farm. The woman was from Hawaii and had taken her children out of state against the father’s wishes, claiming that she was running from an abusive relationship and that Miller’s farm was providing a “healing haven” for her and her children. But video footage reviewed by Rolling Stone showed “at least eight assault weapons, rifles, and handguns lying around the living room, with some weapons propped up next to a pile of stuffed animals.” Just a very bizarre situation all around.

When you add these up—the assaults against women, the restraining orders, the alleged grooming and strange behavior around children, the guns and the death threats, you paint a portrait of someone who—in their own words—has “complex mental health issues” and who clearly does need help and empathy. Given that most of these incidents took place in 2022, I have a hard time understanding how the actor can possibly be rehabilitated in time to continue as Barry Allen.

I think it’s important to also note that mental health issues are not an excuse for violence, grooming or predatory behavior, and seeking help is not the same thing as absolution. Seeking help is good! Having empathy for people who suffer from mental health issues is good! Excusing bad behavior, violence and grooming is not good!

What about the people who would be required to work with Miller on the set of future DC films? The cast and crew? The women and children potentially involved? Other actors have been excommunicated from Hollywood for simply saying the wrong thing, but here we have someone who has crossed nearly every line, placing people in real danger and engaging in real violence. This isn’t about cancelling someone forever over some wrong-think, either. In time, with enough help and progress, I hope that Miller can return to acting and their career. But this won’t happen overnight.

Should DC give Miller another chance? I don’t think so. Cavill was iconic as Superman. Gal Gadot has done a fantastic job as Wonder Woman (despite Wonder Woman: 1984 being hot garbage). Miller will be much easier to replace. Hell, most Flash fans think of Grant Gustin when they think of Barry Allen. It’s time to move on from Ezra Miller, no matter how successful the upcoming film may be.

Update:

A couple of my readers have made some salient points I hadn’t fully considered yet. 1) Nobody at Warner Bros including James Gunn can publicly disavow Miller before the movie comes out this June for obvious reasons. I had considered that but I hadn’t considered how these leaks and anonymous sources might be trying to undermine not just The Rock—who looks bad in this Variety piece—but also James Gunn, who is now under pressure to comment in some fashion. Also 2) the possibility that the Warner Bros Discovery higher-ups are using Gunn as a celebrity fall-guy—someone the public is familiar with, who will take the brunt of criticism for the hard decisions being made before being cast aside as well. Something to chew over some more, no doubt. The politics of the entertainment industry can be every bit as vicious and merciless as the politics of, well, politics.

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