DC Keeping Ezra Miller On Board Despite Controversy?
With no issues since starting treatment this past Summer, Warner Bros. executives are open to keeping Ezra Miller on board as the DCU Flash.
Ezra Miller has faced a cascade of controversies over the recent year, but it seems like DC might still be willing to keep them in the superhero roster. According to Variety, Miller staying in mental health treatment throughout the summer has made some Warner execs “amenable” to continue working with the actor after their appearance in The Flash. Of course, the decision will ultimately come down to James Gunn and Peter Safran, since they’re setting the new path for the future of the DCU.
This report is definitely interesting, as Warner Bros. Discovery and James Gunn have not held back from making broad changes and cuts to the current DC film landscape. You might think that Ezra Miller’s recent allegations and legal troubles would make it easy for Gunn to exclude them after The Flash, with little to no fan backlash. It seems like Gunn and Safran might have some long-term plans that involve the Scarlet Speedster and they might think Miller is the best person for the role.
Ezra Miller even made a brief appearance as the Flash in the season finale of James Gunn’s Peacemaker, along with fellow Justice League member Aquaman (Jason Momoa.) Funnily enough, the rest of the Justice League lineup, including Superman and Wonder Woman, appeared as silhouettes instead of having Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot playing them. While this was long before Gunn was appointed to his DCU position, it was some pretty crazy incidental foreshadowing that Cavill and Gadot would be left out of his future plans.
Ezra Miller’s The Flash film could be the key to James Gunn resetting the DCU and aligning it closer to his vision for the film universe’s future. From the beginning, it was reported that the film would have multiverse elements, leaving the door open for a hard reset. This means that characters could be replaced, storylines could be dropped, and Gunn could have a fresh, clean slate to use going forward.
While there is no guarantee that Ezra Miller’s The Flash will operate as a DCU reset button, it is one of the few films that avoided getting axed from the schedule. Other projects that survived both the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and the cuts made by Gunn and Safran include Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle, Gunn’s own Peacemaker show, and the big-budget HBO Green Lantern show. So far, the cancellation of the finished Batgirl movie by CEO David Zaslav and James Gunn’s decision to leave Henry Cavill out of future plans have been the most controversial decisions of the new DC regime.
One way or another, we’ll be seeing Ezra Miller’s The Flash when it hits theaters on June 16, 2023. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti with a story by Joby Harold and a screenplay by Christina Hodson. Although the cameos filmed with Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot have reportedly been cut from the film, the movie’s cast will still include Ron Livingston, Michael Keaton, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, and Ben Affleck.
