Looks like Will Smith’s not the only one to have a major meltdown. Recently, Ezra Miller, who plays the Flash in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and Aurelius Dumbledore in “Secrets of Dumbledore”, has been arrested in Hawaii. They (a gender neutral pronoun) have been charged with second-degree assault after throwing a chair at a private function. The chair had struck a young lady, leaving her with a nasty scar. This isn’t the first time they’ve had a run in with the law. Two months ago, they had been arrested for harassing a woman at a karaoke bar. Now that’s not very heroic, is it Miller?
With all this controversy swirling around the actor and “The Flash” film being pushed back to 2023, we can’t help but wonder: Will Ezra Miller still reprise their role as the Scarlet Speedster in DC’s upcoming film? What’s going on with Warner Bros. right now? There’s a lot to break down so sit tight as we run through all the facts and decipher what the future holds for the Flash?
Warner Bros. and Past Controversies
So to better understand how Warner Bros. will handle this situation, it’s important to see how the company handled another controversy: the Johnny Depp Accusations. After “Fantastic Beasts” actor Johnny Depp had lost his libel suit against a UK tabloid newsite, The Sun, who described him as a wife-beater in one of their articles, Warner Bros had asked Depp to step down from his role as Gellert Grindelwald. There was an uproar from fans who felt that the verdict of the libel case and Warner Bros’ decision was unfair to Depp. Take into account that there wasn’t even a proper trial yet to prove Depp’s supposed spousal abuse. Warner Bros. was willing to drop an actor playing a major role in one of their biggest franchises simply because of allegations of abuse.
Now here we are, in 2022, and we have an actor who has had been arrested twice for unruly behaviour! Based on the way Warner Bros handled the Depp situation, it’s safe to say that they would certainly drop Miller right? After all, it would be highly hypocritical to drop one actor from their franchise due to allegations and to keep one with two confirmed arrests. As of now, Warner Bros. has been keeping awfully quiet on this matter. However, there was a rumour circulating around that apparently Warner Bros. isn’t too concerned with Ezra Miller’s legal issues.
Currently, “The Flash” film is in post-production and no changes have been mentioned regarding its release date for June 2023. If the film is essentially finished, and there aren’t any mentions of reshoots, perhaps Warner Bros. will stay the course. When Depp resigned from the role of Grindelwald, the production was still in its early stages. That being said, major amendments have been made to films in the past, despite it being in the post-production state. One need only compare the differences between Joss Whedon’s “Justice League” with Zack Snyder’s original cut of the film. Hopefully, we’ll get some answers from Warner Bros. regarding Ezra Miller’s role in the film.
Could Warner Bros. Replace Ezra Miller?
The chances of Warner Bros. scrapping every scene with Ezra Miller’s Flash and reshooting it with another actor at the helm seems pretty unlikely. They’ve already released a teaser during DC’s FanDome event with Miller being the face of the film. Perhaps, though, Warner Bros. may find a way to sidestep the actor within the film by having another version of the character take up the mantle.
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While not exactly a beat-for-beat remake of the “Flashpoint” storyline, “The Flash” is meant to act as a sort of reset for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). One that would give the franchise a chance to start fresh with a new status quo, wiping away all the messy canon of the previous films. We discussed in the past when talking about how Warner Bros. could use the film solve their 3-Batmen-Problem. It’s possible that during the events of “The Flash”, Miller’s Barry Allen dies heroically while trying to save the timeline and his universe. Opening the way for a new Flash from a different universe to replace Miller.
We know that the main DCEU exists within a wider multiverse full of alternate versions of our favourite heroes. Oddly enough, that concept wasn’t established in one of Warner Bros’ big budget DCEU films. Rather, it was CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earth” TV event that connected the DCEU to the Arrowverse. While Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen is traveling across the multiverse, he somehow ends up meeting Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen.
In a conversation between these two versions of Barry, Gustin’s Barry mentions his superhero moniker, the Flash, to Miller’s version only to be met with confusion. It seems that Gustin’s Flash appeared to Miller’s way before he entered into the Justice League and perhaps even inspired the DCEU’s version of the character to take up the name. Grant Gustin’s Flash is far more established than Miller’s. He’s been playing the character for almost an entire decade and has met a whole slew of DC superheroes across the multiverse. If Warner Bros. is looking to replace Miller with anyone, it would most likely be Grant Gustin.
Furthermore, Gustin’s entry into the DCEU could open the door for Warner Bros. to finally solve its Superman crisis. In case you haven’t noticed, actor Henry Cavill hasn’t exactly been present in recent DCEU films. It’s been implied that Cavill’s version of Superman was in the ending of “Shazam” and in a cameo of “Peacemaker” but we can’t know for sure seeing that his face was hidden in both instances. With Netflix’s “The Witcher” series and a string of other projects, it seems Cavill is a little too preoccupied to take up the cape. Grant Gustin’s Flash appearing in the DCEU could come with the arrival of a new Superman as well, one played by Tyler Hoechlin from CW’s “Superman & Lois”.
The future of the DCEU’s Flash seems uncertain for now but be sure to stay tuned for more updates on Warner Bros. and Ezra Miller!
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