After years of development challenges, The Flash is finally on track to be released in 2023. However, Barry Allen's standalone adventure has been mired in controversy due to its star, Ezra Miller. The actor has been the subject of serious allegations throughout the year, which Warner Bros. has not publicly acknowledge.
Fans have long speculated about the studio's potential choices regarding Miller, ranging from firing them after The Flash's release to removing them from the film altogether and replacing them with someone else. Now, Deadline has provided a better idea of where the studio stands, claiming that Miller is not currently part of DC's future movie plans.
The trade published a piece discussing the challenges that Miller's recent troubles have brought on for the studio, and in it, it's said that Warner Bros. attempted to help The Flash star to no avail.
As for how WB will deal with the actor, Deadline's source stressed how difficult Miller's scandals have been for Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO David Zazlav, and implied that the studio hopes for the situation to quiet down in time for the movie's 2023 release: "There is no winning in this for Warner Bros. [...] This is an inherited problem for Zaslav. The hope is that the scandal will remain at a low level before the movie is released, and hope for the best to turn out."
The report went on to state that David Zazlav doesn't intend to have Ezra Miller be part of the DC's big screen future after The Flash comes out. Any future scandals from the star will reportedly not influence the decision — Miller seems to be out. This somewhat echoes a Rolling Stone report from April 2022 that suggested WB had paused the actor's involvement in any future projects at the company.
There are, however, other possible outcomes for The Flash. Per the report, Zazlav is considering different directions for the film, three of which are:
- Restrain The Flash's marketing campaign.
- Release the movie on HBO Max and front the financial loss (Deadline puts The Flash's price tag at $200 million).
- Release the film as planned but let Miller go afterward should their situation not improve.
The last option is interesting, since it appears to indicate that WB is still in some way considering keeping the actor on as Barry Allen. At the moment, though, there is very little information available about the situation and WB's overall plan to make an educated guess as to which of the three options above is the most plausible.
According to Deadline, Zazlav is expected to reach a decision on what to do about The Flash in the near future, so it may not be long until there's a clearer idea regarding Ezra Miller's standing in DC's film franchise.
The Flash is expected to arrive in theaters on June 23, 2023.