'The Flash' Producer Says Ezra Miller Controversies Never Jeopardized Movie
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As Ezra Miller’s list of controversies and legal troubles snowballed over the course of 2022, many wondered how all the negative press might affect the actor’s future in the DCU—and others were seemingly accurate in their prediction that it would all amount to having no effect whatsoever.
The Flash is finally set to premiere this month, following numerous delays and other films on the slate getting shelved entirely. It’s received positive word-of-mouth reviews ahead of the release, and the attention finally seems to be shifting away from Miller’s arrests, assault charges, and recurring erratic behavior going back several years.
And now director Andy Muschietti has confirmed that if the film gets a sequel, Miller would, in fact, return as Barry Allen.
“I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did,” he told The Playlist. “The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it.”
The statement felt like the latest slap in the face to the creatives behind the Arrowverse, namely Grant Gustin, who just quietly wrapped up his nine-season tenure as Allen on The Flash as The CW refocuses the network towards foreign acquisitions, reality television, and golf.
\u201cNo matter how you feel about The Flash TV show, Grant Gustin arguably played Barry Allen/The Flash better than Ezra Miller did.\n\nI like Andy Muschietti, but this statement he made is extremely disrespectful.\u201d
— Matt \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4 (@Matt \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4) 1685491732
“No matter how you feel about The Flash TV show, Grant Gustin arguably played Barry Allen/The Flash better than Ezra Miller did. I like Andy Muschietti, but this statement he made is extremely disrespectful.”
\u201cFolks at WB pretending Grant Gustin doesn\u2019t have the best portrayal as Barry Allen/The Flash is crazy work\u201d
— PridefulSin \ud83e\udebc (@PridefulSin \ud83e\udebc) 1685472853
“Folks at WB pretending Grant Gustin doesn’t have the best portrayal as Barry Allen/The Flash is crazy work”
\u201c...the one time a studio is in heavy support of an LGBTQIA+ actor and it's the criminal we want sent off.\n\nAlso Grant Gustin is right fucking there as an example of a good Barry with no problematic issues.\u201d
— The Legacy Of M (@The Legacy Of M) 1685491766
“...the one time a studio is in heavy support of an LGBTQIA+ actor and it's the criminal we want sent off. Also Grant Gustin is right fucking there as an example of a good Barry with no problematic issues.”
Producer Barbara Muschietti added on to the praise for Miller, calling them “brilliant and the most committed and the most professional [actor],” a sentiment that seems to stand in stark contrast from the reports of personal run-ins people have had with Miller in recent years.
She also told Entertainment Weekly that Miller’s troubles never actually put the film’s future in jeopardy, and that any previous rumor to the contrary “was never real.”
Miller released a statement last year saying that their behavior was the result of “complex mental health issues,” for which they “have begun ongoing treatment.”
Whether that is accurate or a PR spin isn’t for us to know at this time, but just because someone who has repeatedly created dangerous situations for themself and others decides to get help doesn’t mean they need to be given a platform as a celebrity—especially when that elevated status put them in the position to cause harm in the first place.
