As the controversies surrounding Ezra Miller continue to mount, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Warner Bros. Discovery needs to do something about The Flash. This week alone, the actor has been charged with felony burglary amid reports that child services are attempting to retrieve the three children of a woman residing at Miller's farm for their own safety.
It's obvious the studio can't continue to ignore what's going on with the actor (who uses they/them pronouns), and The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that three options are being mulled over.
The first is that Miller will seek professional help, something the studio has heard could be the case after they returned to their farm in Vermont with their mother. From there, the hope is the actor can give a tell-all interview explaining their recent behaviour, later doing limited press for The Flash and avoiding any further negative headlines.
If Miller doesn't seek help, the movie could still be released, but the actor would not factor heavily into marketing or publicity. He would also no longer be cast as the Scarlet Speedster, leading to someone else playing Barry Allen in future projects.
The third scenario, and this would be a last resort, is that if things worsen with Miller, The Flash will be scrapped and never released. Miller plays multiple characters and is in nearly every scene, so reshooting their scenes with another actor isn't possible.
We don't know which of these routes Warner Bros. will head down, but cancelling a $200 million movie would be unprecedented. It's expected to be an important chapter in the DC Extended Universe's future, but regardless of whether Miller seeks help, it's hard to believe they'll stick around as the Fastest Man Alive in any one of these possible outcomes.
A Salvador Dali biopic, Daliland, will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month, and Miller stars in the film alongside Sir Ben Kingsley. They haven't been cut, but there's no mention of their name in the announcement about the movie's premiere. This may give you an idea of how The Flash could be marketed (with The Flash's mask remaining on and the actor rarely talked about).
For now, The Flash is set to be released in theaters on June 23, 2023.