Warner Bros. Is Reportedly Looking at Its Options with the Fate of The Flash

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Image: Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. is reportedly considering options of what to do about The Flash movie following the ongoing drama surrounding Ezra Miller. The actor who prefers to go by they/them has a growing number of legal troubles stacking up that could force the studio to make a hard decision regarding the $200 million movie that has been in development since 2014.

  • March – An arrest in Hawaii for disorderly conduct.
  • June – An anonymous parent gets a temporary harassment-protection order against Miller regarding concerns with their now 12-year-old child.
  • Jan-Present – Accusations of physical abuse of a minor resulting in a temporary protective order being requested by the parents of said minor and summons to a tribal court. The parent’s child has been contesting these accusations and statements and this situation is still not resolved.
  • August – Accused of felony burglary in Vermont and, in recent days, Vermont State Police are now seeking the actor for questioning regarding the whereabouts of a 25-year-old mother and her 3 children who were said to be residing at a home owned by the actor.

The movie is expected to become a tentpole for the DCEU as Warner Bros. hits the reset button on the franchise. Cameos from Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck have already been reported as each reprises their respective Batman roles for some kind of multiverse-type of event. Meanwhile, as Ezra’s legal entanglements continue to grow the studio is said to be looking at three options of what to do moving forward.

First, Warners has received indications that the 29-year-old Miller, whose mother has accompanied the actor in recent days, will seek professional help after returning home to their farm in Vermont after being away. If that happens, Miller, who goes by they/them pronouns, could give an interview at some point explaining their erratic behavior over the past few years. The actor could then do limited press for The Flash, and the movie would open in cinemas as planned. 

The second scenario: Even if Miller doesn’t reach out for help, Warners could still release the film. But don’t expect Miller to play a prominent role in terms of marketing and publicity. Nor would Miller be the Flash going forward, as the role would be recast in future projects.

The third: The situation with Miller deteriorates further. This would see Warners killing the movie outright, as it could not be reshot with a different actor. Miller plays multiple characters and is in almost every scene. Scrapping a $200 million film would be an unprecedented move.

Warner Bros. has recently been criticized over its decision to ax its $90 million Batgirl movie. Some said that decision was at least in part due to extremely poor testing and others have suggested that Warner Bros. should cancel the release of The Flash because of the surrounding drama with Ezra Miller. However, aside from the larger amount of money already invested in it along with the plans to reset and expand the DC universe, it’s possible that the positive reception of early screenings for The Flash could also be a factor in why the movie hasn’t already been canceled.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone

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Peter Brosdahl
As a child of the 70’s I was part of the many who became enthralled by the video arcade invasion of the 1980’s. Saving money from various odd jobs I purchased my first computer from a friend of my dad, a used Atari 400, around 1982. Eventually it would end up being a lifelong passion of upgrading and modifying equipment that, of course, led into a career in IT support.

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