Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has a ton on his plate, and it looks like cutting The Flash star Ezra Miller might be at the top of his to-do list after new reports suggest the actor could be shown the door once their solo DC film releases next year, considering Miller's share of legal problems as of late.
For the better part of the last three months, The Flash star Miller has found themself caught up in all sorts of trouble, running from an alleged assault incident that landed them on the receiving end of a restraining order. More recently, Miller faced some very worrying grooming allegations they’ve puzzlingly chosen to fight back with memes. To make matters worse, The Flash star has been missing in action since that last accusation, leaving courts dumbfounded as to where to find them to serve them for current legal proceedings.
Now, according to reports from Deadline, due to Miller's continuously problematic behavior, the studio and Zaslav are heavily leaning towards axing the actor after resolving what to do with their prized $200 million blockbuster, The Flash. As indicated, sources say Warner Bros. is contemplating all options, ranging from reducing publicity tours for The Flash to a bare minimum or turning it into an HBO Max streaming exclusive. Another option is to simply hope for the most successful release possible come June 2023, as it’s been established that reshooting The Flash would be impossible at this stage.
Regardless of which scenario plays out, Warner Bros. is believed to have made up its mind, and even Miller staying away from more controversies would likely not have any effect on the studio’s decision. Partly behind Zaslav's reasoning is the fact that the CEO has been vocal about his desire to continue onwards with the DC films to turn it into something more akin to Marvel's own universe, which would call for Miller's role to be recast. Warner Bros. has reportedly tried to find help for Miller, whose share of legal problems and violent incidents dates back to 2020.
The Flash is rumored to be just the kind of reboot the DCEU needs right now. The hero’s source material has ample grounds for Barry Allen to jump across to a universe where new iterations of Superman and Batman could replace the departing Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck.
After The Batman's massive success and with all the anticipation behind a Joker sequel, it's arguable whether the DCEU should even be a thing or not. However, that won't stop Warner Bros. from trying, even if it means leaving Miller and their exorbitant amounts of baggage behind.
The Flash is scheduled for release on June 23, 2023.
Source: Deadline