It seems as if Ezra Miller has been arrested again in Hawaii. Miller was arrested after a complaint of second-degree assault, and it is alleged that they got violent when they were asked to leave a private residence in Pāhoa. This incident follows Miller being arrested on the charge of disorderly conduct at a karaoke bar and for allegedly harassing a couple.
They were arrested at a traffic light at 1:30 a.m. after allegedly throwing a chair that struck a 26-year-old woman. They were arrested after the police interviewed those at the residence, and the woman who was struck has refused treatment. Miller was also escorted off a property in Hilo, and a couple was granted a protective order against Miller (that was later dropped).
All of this comes with Warner Bros. having two franchises that feature Miller as a major player, one being the Fantastic Beasts series and the other being the upcoming film The Flash as part of the DCEU. Previous reports stated that Warner Bros. were holding emergency meetings trying to discuss what to do after the first arrest in Hawaii. From here, it seems as if Warner Bros. is going to have to do some serious reshuffling and thinking about the future of Barry Allen as a character and whether or not they can keep Miller on board.
Fans want a new Flash
The problem with the movie The Flash is that it has wrapped production (it finished filming back in October of 2021), so while there isn’t that much they could do about Miller’s presence in it at this point, they could easily announce a change for the future of the DCEU and the casting. Still, Warner Bros. has been relatively hush-hush thus far about the situation as a whole.
So, the fan outcry to recast him with The CW’s Grant Gustin or a new actor isn’t out of left field.
Barry Allen is a beloved character, and fans have been waiting for him to have his standalone movie. Now, that is tainted by Miller’s actions in Hawaii and their continued actions there despite already having been arrested once.
The easy decision, frankly, is to cast Grant Gustin in the larger universe, given how beloved his portrayal of Barry Allen is. It’s what everyone online wants, and it would mean that DC Comics’ movies don’t lose too many fans in the process (and would add in fans from the show, as well).
What has been happening, though, is everyone online making jokes while also hurting the non-binary community at the same time. Back in 2020, Miller spoke with GQ about their pronouns, and it was widely covered online. So, talking about Miller’s misdeeds doesn’t also mean you have to misgender them. Many online have been using “he/him” pronouns while talking about them, when it has been widely known and put into publication that Miller’s pronouns are “they/them.”
The future for Miller and their career isn’t going to be a fun press tour for a movie that fans have been waiting for. If anything, it wouldn’t be surprising if Warner Bros. delayed the release of The Flash again, even though we still have a year before its release date (in June of 2023).
What needs to happen, though ,is Warner Bros. has to have a serious conversation about what they want to put out into the world, because Miller does not need to continue being the face of Barry Allen with how they have been acting in Hawaii.
(image: Warner Bros.)
