- Ezra Miller is an actor who already filmed The Flash, where they play the titular speedster superhero.
- Ezra has been at the center of legal troubles and recently pleaded guilty to trespassing charges in Vermont.
- If Ezra’s convicted, they could face up to 26 years in prison.
- The Flash is still expected to premiere on June 16.
The Flash is one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming superhero movies. The Warner Bros. project has already wrapped filming with Ezra Miller playing the titular character. But the film’s fate is now up in the air due to controversy surrounding Ezra. The 30-year-old actor (who uses they/them pronouns) has been arrested several times, and they were charged with burglary into an occupied home and petit larceny in Vermont. Ezra pleaded guilty to the unlawful trespassing charges, after initially pleading not guilty, on Friday, January 13, according to Variety. The actor pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal, where they’ll have to pay a $500 fine and be on probation for a year, which includes that they’ll need to seek mental health treatment, not drink and be subjected to random drug tests.
Before accepting the plea deal, he could’ve been subjected to up to 25 years in prison. Ezra’s ongoing legal troubles have caused trouble for the production teams behind The Flash, and there were many questions about what the ruling meant for the future of the DC Extended Universe. It seems like comic book fans may not have to worry, because The Flash is still anticipated to hit theaters on January 16, according to Variety.
Below, HollywoodLife has rounded up everything you need to know about The Flash‘s current status. Plus, we’ve got all the updates on Ezra’s controversies and how they’ve caused an impact on the film’s release.
What is Ezra Miller Famous For?
Ezra Miller was born in New Jersey and dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career. Their first movie was the 2008 drama film Afterschool. Ezra followed that up with the movies We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Trainwreck. The actor played Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore in Disney’s Fantastic Beasts franchise. Ezra’s most notable television role was the CBS miniseries The Stand. They also appeared in episodes of Royal Pains on USA Network.
Ezra Miller Arrested
The very first time that Ezra was arrested was in June 2011 when they were filming Perks of Being a Wallflower. Ezra was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for a broken brake light in Pittsburg. Authorities discovered that Ezra allegedly had marijuana in their possession and charged the actor with drug possession. But the charges were eventually dropped and Ezra paid a $600 penalty, according to BuzzFeed News.
Ezra was arrested two more times in March and April 2022. The first arrest occurred on March 28 after an alleged physical altercation ensued between Ezra and other people at a karaoke bar in Hawaii. Ezra was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment. On April 19, Ezra was arrested again in Hawaii on suspicion of assault after allegedly throwing a chair at a 26-year-old woman. They pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. In a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the harassment charge and an unrelated traffic charge.
In June 2022, Ezra was accused of harassing a 12-year-old child, Tokata “Gibson” Iron Eyes. The child’s parents filed a temporary harassment prevention order for Gibson and Gibson’s mother against Ezra in Massachusetts, which was granted. In court documents, the parents said, “Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata Ezra has brainwashed Tokata. Ezra Miller has ensured that Tokata is without a phone and has given her bankcard to another of his workers.”
But Tokata/Gibson denied their parents’ allegations against Ezra. “My father and his allegations hold no weight and are frankly transphobic and based in the notion that I am somehow incapable of coherent thought or opposing opinions to those of my own kindred worrying about my well being,” the child said in a statement on Instagram. “I am now aware of the severity of emotional and psychological manipulation I was made to endure while in my parents home.”
Ezra was also arrested on August 7. The actor was charged with felony burglary after allegedly stealing bottles of alcohol from a home three months earlier in Stamford, Vermont on May 1. according to CNN.
On Monday, August 15, Ezra provided a statement to Variety, saying that they are seeking “ongoing” treatment. “Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Ezra told the publication. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”
On October 17, Ezra pleaded not guilty to the burglary and petit larceny charges. The actor was facing 26 years in prison if they are convicted on both of the charges. According to Variety, the petit larceny charges state that the items Ezra stole were worth less than $900. That charge is a maximum of one year in prison and a $1,000 maximum fine, while the burglary charge is a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $1,000 maximum fine.
Ezra’s attorney Lisa B. Shelkrot said in a statement, “Ezra Miller this morning pled not guilty to one count of burglary and one count of petit larceny in Vermont Superior Court and accepted the court-imposed conditions of not contacting or entering the home of the inhabitants. Ezra would like to acknowledge the love and support they have received from their family and friends, who continue to be a vital presence in their ongoing mental health.”
On January 13, 2023, Ezra accepted a plea deal for his Vermont unlawful trespassing charges. In exchange for pleading guilty, Ezra was given a $500 fine and sentenced to a year of probation. “Ezra Miller pled guilty this morning to a misdemeanor unlawful trespass in Vermont Superior Court and accepted the conditions imposed by the court. Ezra would like to thank the court and the community for their trust and patience throughout this process, and would once again like to acknowledge the love and support they have received from their family and friends, who continue to be a vital presence in their ongoing mental health,” his lawyer said in a statement to Variety.
Ezra Miller as ‘The Flash’
Ezra made their film debut as Barry Allen/The Flash in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. They had just a brief appearance in that movie, as well as Suicide Squad which came out that same year. They had a major role in 2017’s Justice League, alongside Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg. Ezra was also featured in 2021’s Zac Snyder’s Justice League, which was original director Zac Snyder‘s cut of the film. Ezra also made a cameo appearance in the season finale of HBO Max’s Peacemaker starring John Cena.
The Flash is Ezra’s first standalone movie in the DCEU. The film was officially announced by Warner Bros and DC Films back in October 2014, though it took years for the planning and pre-production stages. Andy Muschietti signed on as director in November 2019. The official description for the movie reads, “Barry travels back in time to prevent his mother’s murder, which brings unintended consequences.”
Is ‘The Flash’ Release Cancelled?
As of now, The Flash is still set to be released in theaters on June 16, 2023. After Ezra’s first arrest in March 2022, Warner Bros. and DC executives held an “emergency impromptu meeting” to discuss the actor’s future with the studio, Rolling Stone reported. According to a source, the “consensus in the room was to hit pause on any future projects involving Miller including possible appearances in the DC Extended Universe.”
In June 2022, Deadline reported that the studio has “tried getting help” for Ezra. “There is no winning in this for Warner Bros,” a studio source told the outlet. “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.”
After Ezra’s felony burglary arrest in August 2022, Warner Bros. reportedly settled on three possible scenarios that could play out in regards to Ezra and The Flash, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A source close to the studio detailed these three scenarios to the outlet. The first is that if Ezra seeks professional help, the actor could give an interview to explain their “erratic behavior over the past few years.” This scenario would also involve Ezra doing limited press to promote The Flash. In the second scenario, where Ezra doesn’t seek help, The Flash would still be released as planned but Ezra wouldn’t be involved in the marketing or publicity. The role of Barry Allen/The Flash would also be recast for future DC projects. The third scenario involves the situation with Ezra getting worse than it already has. If that happens, the studio will scrap The Flash entirely despite it costing $200 million to create. Obviously, that’s Warner Bros. absolute worst case scenario.
On August 24, Ezra had a damage control meeting on the Warner Bros. Burbank lot with their CAA agent, Scott Metzger, and the WB’s new film chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The conference was for Ezra and Scott to lay down a plan on how to keep on track for The Flash’s June 23, 2023 release date –but, moreover, to give the higher ups confidence that Ezra is committed to the movie and is remorseful for the negative press, per the outlet.
‘The Flash’ Movie Cast
Ezra is the main star of The Flash and they supposedly plays multiple characters and is in every scene, per THR. The full cast is filled with A-list stars. Michael Keaton is reprising his role as Batman. Michael played Batman in Tim Burton‘s movies from the late 1980s/early 1990s. He was also supposed to be in Batgirl, which was canceled entirely by Warner Bros. Ben Affleck will also be playing his Batman from the DCEU. Ben and Ezra have worked together on previous DCEU films. Ron Livingston is playing Barry’s father, Henry Allen. Ron is replacing Billy Crudup, who previously played the character in the DCEU. Maribel Verdu will play Barry’s mother, Nora Allen, who was murdered when he was a kid. Kiersey Clemons is starring as Iris West, Barry’s love interest.
The cast also includes Michael Shannon as General Zod, one of Superman’s biggest villains. Ante Traeu is playing Faora-Ul, General Zoë’s right-hand woman. Sasha Calle is playing Supergirl in her DCEU debut. Sasha is the first Latina actress to play Supergirl. Tamuera Morrison is also expected to appear as Aquaman’s father, Thomas Curry. Reverse Flash, who is Barry’s main foe from the comics, is supposedly the main villain of the film. It hasn’t been officially announced who is playing Reverse Flash.
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