Ezra Millerhas single-handedly destroyed the long-held belief that all publicity is good publicity, as while Miller has shown an uncanny ability to generate continual media headlines over the past three years, none of this attention has been good for Miller’s career.
Moreover, just as Miller’s well-documented personal and legal problems overshadowed their titular starring role in the would-be blockbuster filmThe Flash, the film’s disastrous box office performance, which has been at least partially attributed to Miller, has taken much, if not all, of the attention away from Miller’s personal life.
However, it’s highly doubtful that Miller is taking any kind of solace from this. Indeed, in the wake of the film’s historical box office failure, there are serious questions regarding whether Miller is still viewed as being employable in Hollywood.
Given what happened toThe Flashand the obvious effect that Miller’s troubles had on the film, and especially its box office performance, what Hollywood studio, or major filmmaker, would even consider hiring Miller to appear, much less star in, a major film or television project in the foreseeable future?
A Radioactive Flash
Assuming thatThe Flashhad been agreat commercial success, if not a blockbuster, and Ezra Miller’s performance in the film had been hailed as being one of the greatest superhero portrayals in the history of cinema, would the film’s distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, along with production partner DC Studios, have still been nervous about letting Miller continue in the role of Barry Allen, aka The Flash, in a now highly unlikelyFlashsequel?
Now that the worst-case scenario has become a reality, is there any conceivable way in which Miller would ever be allowed to reappear in the DC Universe?
Since Miller’s casting as Barry Allen in 2014, DC and Warner Bros. Pictures invested heavily, hundreds of millions of dollars, in Miller, who was considered to be a crucial part of the DCEU, in which Miller made their first appearances, cameo appearances, in 2016’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squadbefore Miller’s breakthrough co-starring appearance in 2017’sJustice League.
Related:Best Ezra Miller Performances, Ranked
AlthoughJustice Leaguewas a box office disappointment, if not an outright flop, for DC and Warner Bros. Pictures, Miller’s performance in the film was singled out for praise. At this point, the trajectory of Miller’s relationship with DC and Warner Bros. Pictures seemed to be encouraging.
The clearest evidence of just how fractured this relationship has become is the shocking degree to which the marketing campaign forThe Flashseemed to focus more on Michael Keaton’s return as Batman in the film than Miller’s starring role. Indeed, as Miller was unavailable, or unwilling, to make any media appearances for the film, it was as if Miller became somewhat disassociated from what was intended to be Miller’s starring vehicle.
No More Credence Barebone
Of course,Ezra Miller’s relationship with Warner Bros. Picturesextended beyondThe Flash, as Miller previously appeared, as wizard Credence Barebone, in Warner’sFantastic Beastsfilm series, beginning with 2016’sFantastic Beastsand Where to Find Them, followed by 2018’sFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwaldand 2022’sFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
However, whileFantastic Beastsseries creator J.K. Rowling stated that the film series would consist of two additional films, both of which likely would have featured the Credence Barebone character, the disappointing box office performance ofFantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledoreled Warner Bros. Pictures to cease any immediate plans for a continuation of the film series.
WhileMiller’s off-screen problemslikely played little, or no, role in Warner’s decision to halt theFantastic Beastsfilm series, even if Warner Bros. had green-lighted moreFantastic Beastsfilms, is there any reason to believe that Miller would have been permitted to return to the role of Credence Barebone, had the character been included in subsequent films, given what happened withThe Flash?
Related:Fantastic Beasts: Every Movie in the Franchise, Ranked
Can Ezra Miller Go Back?
Given the torrent of bad publicity that has dominatedEzra Miller’s careerand life over the past three years, it’s easy to forget the interesting and promising career that Miller had prior to becoming attached to the DCEU.
Now that Miller’s Hollywood career appears to be over, at least in terms of big-budget studio films, is it possible for Miller to reinvent himself in the kinds of character-based, offbeat independent films that brought Miller to mainstream Hollywood’s attention in the first place?
Before being cast within the DCEU, Miller was best known for their acclaimed performances in the 2011 psychological thriller filmWe Need to Talk About Kevinand the 2012 coming-of-age filmThe Perks of Being a Wallflower. Prior to the release ofThe Flash, Miller appeared as a younger version of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, opposite Sir Ben Kingsley, in the 2022 biographical drama filmDaliland, which was filmed in the spring of 2021.
However, in the wake ofThe Flash, will serious filmmakers be inclined to want to work with Miller for fear of having their projects overshadowed byMiller’s personal and professional baggage? Moreover, given that the principal filming ofThe Flashwas completed in October 2021, and with Miller currently having no upcoming acting assignments, has Miller decided to take an indefinite leave from acting and the public eye, or is no one simply willing to hire Miller at this point in time?
