Just last week, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled their $90 million-costing “Batgirl” film. But on their earnings call the next day? Well, their “The Flash” film, grappling with massive PR headaches thanks to its embattled star Ezra Miller (who goes by they/their pronouns), is apparently still a-OK and still headed for release despite its myriad problems. And how bad are those problems from an optics perspective? Well, they were pretty bad, but today they just got even worse as Variety reports that Miller has been arrested for felony burglary by the Vermont State Police.
According to a Vermont State Police report, authorities were notified of a burglary complaint from a home in Stamford on May 1 (Miller has said to be staying on a farm in Vermont currently). While the homeowners were not present, several bottles of alcohol went missing and were allegedly taken from the residence. After collecting statements and looking at surveillance videos, police found probable cause to charge Miller with felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling.
Miller was located on August 7, has been issued a citation, and has been scheduled to appear in court on September 26 for an arraigning. The news follows dozens of reports and allegations. Most recently, a Rolling Stone investigation from June, recently published, piled on with more claims of grooming, harassment, and “frightening Emotional outbursts.”
This news follows allegations of an “unsafe environment” around children, including loaded guns, a requested protective order from parents for supplying their teens with drugs and alcohol, an arrest in Hawaii for second-degree assault, and a woman in Iceland who spoke out after Miller was caught on video choking her.
All signs point to Miller being replaced in “The Flash,” and given the film is a multiverse movie with three different versions of the actor’s Barry Allen character, it would seem like an easy fix. The execs suggested that “The Flash” would receive reshoots on the aforementioned WB Discovery earnings call. There’s probably some simple plot/ time travel maneuver to concoct Miller being replaced by another actor or another Speed-Force DC character like Wally West (aka Kid Flash).
What would likely help mitigate this situation from Warner Bros. would be some kind of statement asserting they will get Miller the help he needs, but they won’t be moving forward with him in the title role going forward. Then again, if they need him for reshoots and are trying to avoid further negative fan press with the official word of recasting, perhaps they will stay as quiet as possible for as long as they can.
