Ezra Miller (“The Flash“) has had a rough couple of months in the press with dozens of reports of erratic and disturbing behavior. Earlier this spring, the embattled actor was arrested for second-degree assault in Hawaii after an altercation in a bar. More recently, troubling allegations of grooming a non-binary minor (now a teenager) have surfaced. And worse, this week, second allegation came to light about another minor the actor allegedly groomed. Following these recent dramas, Miller deleted their social media account after teasing authorities about their whereabouts. Personal consequences and accountability aside, the drama and negative press has been causing major headaches for Warner Bros., given the actor is the star of their upcoming $200-million-costing superhero film, “The Flash.”
Amidst the ongoing stories and allegations, a new report from Deadline indicates from sources that the studio—now overseen by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav— isn’t planning to keep the actor in the Flash role moving forward, even if the situation doesn’t get worse or even abates.
READ MORE: Ezra Miller Deletes Social Media Account Following Allegations Of Harassing Another Minor
“Sources said even if no more allegations surface, the studio won’t likely keep Miller in the Flash role in future DC films,” the report states.
Deadline added that the studio has tried getting help for Miller, but the growing and troubling headlines continue to pile up making things untenable to keep the actor around.
This would echo a previous story that stated Warner Bros. was looking to pause their working relationship with Miller on both DC projects and future Potterverse films. That was before the multiple allegations of inappropriate relationships with minors were made public in the press and court documents.
This wouldn’t be the first time Warner Bros. decided to end a working relationship with one of their stars after disturbing off-set allegations. After a defamation trial in the United Kingdom linked to domestic abuse, actor Johnny Depp lost that suit and was then bounced from the Grindelwald role in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise with the studio replacing him with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
Does Warner Bros. stick with the theatrical release in 2023 to attempt to recoup the massive costs attached to the production budget or simply hand it over to HBO Max to avoid a messy press tour that would obviously focus on Miller’s allegations/arrests? Apparently all those different options are on the table and things that Warner Bros is considering, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the new leadership headed by Zaslav ends up doing ultimately.
Either way, it sounds like “The Flash” will be the last time we see Ezra Miller in that speedster part—it’s a multiverse movie and it will be easy to write him out if it in the end—and the actor might want to call his accountant and plan for a future without big paydays like this soon-to-be-over superhero role.