At long last, Warner Bros. Discovery has no other choice but to do something about Ezra Miller.
The studio has invested $200 million in a Flash solo film starring Miller for its DC Comics film universe, but a source close to the production says that studio executives are considering at least three options for The Flash given that Miller continues to make headlines for erratic behavior, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
According to the anonymous source, the studio has reason to believe that Miller “will seek professional help after returning home” to Vermont and, as a first option, could allow Miller the opportunity to offer public explanations and apologies for their behavior. Should this come to pass, Warner Bros. will release the film as planned; if Miller refuses help, they might still release it anyway, but Miller would no longer be the Fastest They/Them Alive in future DC projects.
There’s a third option, though: can it altogether. Should Miller continue the way they’re going, Warner Bros. could take the unprecedented step of canceling a project that cost nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. Based on what’s known about the movie’s plot, this would not only quash any hope of seeing Michael Keaton return to his iconic Batman role, but also derail most of Warners’ plans for subsequent DC films.
This year has seen Miller embark on a bizarre and violent series of actions, from harassing people in Hawai’i to allegedly kidnapping a Native teenager named Tokata Iron Eyes. This week brought yet more stomach-turning details to light. On Monday, Miller was cited for felony burglary in Vermont; two days later, police announced they are also looking for a 25-year-old mother and her three children who had previously been staying on Miller’s property in the state.
Still, there’s always a silver lining when you’re a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate. Taking a $200 million loss is a heck of a tax boon, and that’s a strategy Warner Bros. Discovery’s new CEO David Zaslav has wholeheartedly embraced. Last week, Zaslav confirmed the company had shelved its Batgirl movie to write off around $90 million as a fiscal loss, even though the film, starring Leslie Grace, Ivory Aquino and Brendan Fraser, had already entered post-production.
Neither Warner Bros. nor Creative Artists Agency, which represent Miller, issued a public comment at time of writing.
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