With increasingly disturbing allegations around Ezra Miller surfacing daily, the actor has become a massive headache for incoming Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Sources tell Deadline that even if the film’s release (set for June 23, 2023) goes ahead, Miller is likely to be replaced in the role for future Flash movies. The report notes that The Flash is considered a massive priority for WB, with it hoped to be the type of film that will help the DCU grow to MCU levels, boasting the much-anticipated return of Michael Keaton as Batman. But now, the studio has been left with a $200 million movie tainted by its star’s erratic (to say the least) behaviour, leaving them in a bind.
According to the report, WB has tried to get Miller some help, but now the word is Zaslav is weighing his options, which are as follows according to Deadline:
He can pull back on heavily promoting the summer 2023 film, confining it to some P&A and no publicity tour. Or he can relegate it to streaming with HBO Max and take a write-down. Or lean in toward making the movie a hit and then drop Miller if they can’t straighten things out.
Perhaps the most telling phrase from the story is this, “Sources said even if no more allegations surface, the studio won’t likely keep Miller in the Flash role in future DC films.”
Indeed, it sounds like any way things pan out, Miller is out as The Flash, although there’s a little-to-no chance the studio would scrap a $200 million movie or re-shoot it. It seems unlikely WB would take the write-down and release it to HBO Max, so a theatrical run, perhaps without a press tour, seems a given. That said, the allegations are coming fast, and soon WB will be forced into making a public statement regarding Miller’s future in the DCU, which doesn’t seem very promising.