Just days after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav gushed about DC’s The Flash, the film’s lead star, Ezra Miller, was arrested in Vermont and charged with felony burglary. The news comes after a slew of other disturbing allegations arose against the actor, which Warner Bros. Discovery has failed to publicly address. Miller, best known for starring as the Flash in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and as Creedence in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, has been accused of harassment, assault, disorderly conduct, and even child grooming.
The actor’s troubles started as early as 2020, when footage surfaced that appeared to show them strangling a woman. After that incident, Miller seemed to have laid low for a time, but their legal troubles returned in March 2022 and have only continued to grow more and more serious. That month, Miller was arrested in Hawaii for disorderly conduct at a bar after they allegedly screamed obscenities at customers and threw a chair at a woman. Soon after Miller was released on bail, they were slapped with a restraining order by the Hawaiian couple they were staying, who said Miller burst into their home, threatened them, and stole their belongings.
Soon after, the parents of 18-year-old Tokata Iron Eyes filed a protection order on their child’s behalf. The parents alleged Miller had been grooming Tokata since they were 12, and was holding control over them with violence, drugs, and verbal abuse. The protection order was granted, but couldn’t be served because authorities couldn’t locate Miller. Another harassment protection order was filed and granted for a Massachusetts mother and her 12-year-old child, after alleging Miller had threatened them and behaved inappropriately towards the child.
Miller arrested in Vermont and charged with felony
Rolling Stone previously reported that Miller was staying at their ranch with a woman and her children, but with allegations mounting, there had been difficulty in tracking Miller down. On August 7, 2022, police caught up with Miller in Vermont, where they were charged with felony burglary. Miller’s arraignment is set for Vermont Superior Court on Sept. 26. The actor allegedly stole bottles of alcohol from the home.
Ever since the accusations against Miller first started coming out, many have been calling for the Flash to be recast in the DCEU. Others have questioned if Warner Bros. should release the character’s upcoming solo film at all, given the circumstances. After all, HBO Max’s Batgirl movie was cancelled for vague reasons despite being in post-production and having a $90 million budget. Surely, The Flash could, at least, be delayed and reshot with a new actor. However, oddly, Warner Bros. has remained staunch in keeping Miller involved and moving ahead with The Flash’s release in 2023.
Warner Bros. Discovery has, characteristically, not publicly commented on the most recent charges. It is certainly not a good look for them, though, to be singling out The Flash for praise when the lead star in the film is being charged with a felony and has been accused of much worse. All that says is that Warner Bros. Discovery is more concerned with the bottom line than in withdrawing their support and platform from an individual accused of child grooming, harassment, assault, and now, felony burglary.
(via: Variety, featured image: Warner Bros.)
