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What Should Warner Bros. Do With ‘The Flash’?

Ezra Miller plays Barry Allen/The Flash in DCEU's Justice League.

Ezra Miller’s name has become synonymous with chaos—to put it lightly—and yet, Warner Bros. is moving forward with their plans to release The Flash film.

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Miller first attracted controversy when they attacked a female fan in Iceland, choking them. Despite that video going viral, it was never really brought up in any serious manner in the public sphere. But in the last few months, Miller has been arrested for assault multiple times and is being accused of kidnapping and grooming several teenagers and young adults in a cult-like fashion.

Rolling Stone reported just a few days that two sources with knowledge of what is going on told the publication that Miller’s 96-acre property is “an unsafe environment for children, alleging there are unattended guns strewn around the home.” Miller is reportedly hosting a 25-year-old mother and her three young children. One source “recalled an instance where one of the children — a one-year-old — allegedly picked up a loose bullet and put it in her mouth.” The accusations surrounding Miller have gotten muddy because the people who have been allegedly kidnapped are defending Miller.

The unnamed mother claims that Miller had helped her escape from a “violent and abusive ex,” and Miller “helped me finally … have a safe environment for my three very young children.”

Miller met the woman in Hawai’i in March, and they have been living on the actor’s farm since. Rolling Stone says that video footage they reviewed shows “at least eight assault weapons, rifles, and handguns lying around the living room, with some weapons propped up next to a pile of stuffed animals.”

That is a chilling story and makes anyone with any sense just concerned for the safety of everyone involved. Many have made comparisons to Waco and other cult-like organizations that have overarmed themselves. It is impossible to consider how Warner Bros. can release The Flash under these circumstances, let alone promote the film. It would be deeply irresponsible not to bring up Miller’s actions, and it is impossible to see him play a hero, especially a beloved one like Barry Allen, at this point.

Back in April, it was reported that Miller had been having severe meltdowns on the set of The Flash, and despite there being no yelling or violent outbursts, one of Rolling Stone’s sources described Miller as “losing it.” Even if Miller doesn’t continue on as Barry Allen, it doesn’t alleviate the sense of irresponsibility on the side of WB, who have said they have “high hopes” for the film.

They may not be able to do reshoots, but they can decide to cut their losses, put the movie on the HBO Max streaming service, and make it clear that Miller has no future with them and provide as much information as possible to protect these people.

Not only are Miller’s alleged actions deplorable, but they feed into TERFs’ and the Right’s propaganda about non-binary/trans people being predatory. It has been frustrating, when calling for Miller’s pronouns to be honored, to be treated as if we are prioritizing that over the lives of these potential victims. For me, calling Miller by their pronouns has nothing to do with showing respect. It is just the facts of their identity, which you don’t just conditionally discount if you actually care about supporting those outside the binary. Plus, considering that some of the alleged victims are non-binary people and that non-binary people are at risk, respecting pronouns makes it easier for them to feel safe and to not be in the thrall of someone who might potentially be using the trans/nb-phobia of society as a way to keep them isolated.

Miller’s alleged actions are monstrous, and they need to be stopped in a way that will prevent violence. Warner Bros. may not be directly responsible, but if there is someone who should not be given any potential platform right now, it is Ezra Miller.

(via Rolling Stone, featured image: Warner Bros.)

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Author
Princess Weekes
Princess (she/her-bisexual) is a Brooklyn born Megan Fox truther, who loves Sailor Moon, mythology, and diversity within sci-fi/fantasy. Still lives in Brooklyn with her over 500 Pokémon that she has Eevee trained into a mighty army. Team Zutara forever.

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