Ezra Miller’s name has been in the headlines a lot recently, but for almost entirely the wrong reasons. The Flash and Fantastic Beasts star has dealing with a host of legal issues, which have threatened the future of their career in at least one franchise. However, while Miller’s life outside of making movies may be rough, they're receiving praise for their work on the set.
While most interest today is on the fate of The Flash, Ezra Miller’s starring outing in the DC universe, their new film Daliland recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and the movie's director Mary Harron told Deadline that she felt Miller was “one of the greatest actors I worked with.” She specifically praised the actor’s commitment to the performance and said that Miller arrived on set with his performance already worked out, showing that they had been preparing prior to arrival. Miller even took three days between their two big franchise roles, The Flash and Fantastic Beasts, to work on Daliland.
Ezra Miller released a statement at the beginning of the month revealing they would be undergoing treatment for what they called “complex mental health issues.” This followed a series of brushes with the law, including being arrested for assault in Hawai’i and Miller was charged felony burglary in Vermont. Miller’s relationships with some minors have also been at issue with protective orders being filed against the actor.
The most pressing issue at hand in Hollywood is the upcoming Flash movie set feature the actor in the lead. The movie has a lot riding on it, as the expectation is that the film could act as a soft reboot for the DC film franchise, meaning that the future of several film projects could be impacted by it. The Flash is also, according to reports from test screenings, really good, so the box office considerations are not insignificant, especially since the budget of superhero flick is reportedly on the high side.
But if the star of the movie is seen in a negative light when the movie is scheduled to hit screens next summer, all that could fall apart. It’s been reported that WB was at least considering canceling the film altogether despite everything that was riding on it. While that would be an extreme reaction, one can at least see why that option would be considered. The word is that the possibility of The Flash being scrapped may have been what pushed Ezra Miller to seek treatment.
Mary Harron says she hopes Miller gets the help that they need. It's certainly a sentiment shared by others, even if only for business reasons. At this point, The Flash is still on track for a June 2023 theatrical release, and how Miller's treatment goes may have a significant impact in whether that remains the case.
