Ezra Miller has been in the news for all the wrong reasons as of late. Understandably, this has given Warner Brothers a headache that would trivialize the most massive of migraines.
Ezra Miller’s personal struggles have confounded Warner Brother’s Executives.
If Miller was a normal actor such as Armie Hammer or Louis CK, the decision to cut him lose would be easy. However, we are talking about an actor who should be at the center of the DCEU based on the very history of his character.
Casual moviegoers don’t really know much about the importance of The Flash, and his importance to the DC Universe. Loyal DC fans on the other hand know just how important a Flash Film is.
If Warner wants anything even resembling a shot at salvaging the disaster that the DCEU has become, they need a Flash movie to be Gold Standard.
Why The Character Is So Important
Crisis On Infinite Earths is one of the many DC Universe events that have centered around the flash.
While he doesn’t have the popularity of Batman, the regality of Wonder Woman, or Superman’s clout; the Flash is always the catalyst for every major DC event up to, and including, “The New 52” restructure and lineup.
The character is instrumental in keeping the story in the DC Universe in line. The Flashpoint Storyline has been the catalyst for the current DC timeline. Think of him as a loose interpretation of Dr. Strange. He’s not the most popular guy in the room, but he is the most important if you want to understand what is going on in a universe with infinite chapters.
Dropping Miller Would Be A Financial Disaster
“The Flash” is already in the can. It was made on a budget of One Hundred Million Dollars. (( That is just for the movie’s production. This is almost half of the budget for “The Batman” which clocked in at One Hundred Eighty Five Million Dollars.
Advertising and all of the other bells and whistles that inflate the budget have not even begun to be considered yet. The budget will increase exponentially, since Warner Brothers believes that this is going to be the best film in the DCEU.
Dropping the star of a blockbuster, after filming has wrapped would all but guarantee financial ruin for the DCEU, and would have detrimental effects on the entire Warner Brother’s lot. A lot of things would have to be taken into consideration.
- Dropping the star of your movie would mean that logically, you would have to find a new star. That in itself creates problems. Clearly if Warner drops Miller, the potential replacements would smell the blood in the water. Anybody interviewing would have all of the leverage. Even your absolute last choice for the role would demand above market pay. That means that your base budget of One Hundred Million Dollars balloons off of one man alone.
- Ben Affleck would most likely sit any reshoots out. This means you would have to convince Robert Pattinson to fill in for him. Pattinson is an amicable guy and work wise it wouldn’t be an issue. His work does come at a price though.
After his experience as the Dark Knight, It would be safe to say that Ben Affleck would sit an entire reshoot of “The Flash” out. - Rebuilding the sets, calling back your editors, bringing in another special effects team, and rehiring an entire staff for a soup to nuts reshoot is impractical on multiple levels. At this point, there would be zero chance of this movie making a profit.
HBO Max Is Not An Initial Option
Covid-19 has distorted the consumer’s view on the movie industry. Most people do not know how movies actually turn a profit. For a film like “The Flash” to make the money that Warner needs it to make, they need screens. To get those screens, you need the theaters to bid on your film. Once you accept that bid, you get the percentage of ticket sales.
That is what makes a blockbuster. You have to get butts off of the couches, and into the theater seats. Relegating the Flash to streaming would not only be a loss, but it would destroy what little credibility that the DCEU has left. Once you get your desired box office take, then you can talk about the streaming options.
They would become a joke. This isn’t the MCU scuttling “The Eternals”. This is a lynchpin movie. At this point, it is a Hail Mary for this entire franchise. David Zaslav, the new chief at Discovery-Warner does not seem like a patient man.
He seems like a man who will be perfectly fine setting the dial back to 1989, and letting Batman and Superman sign his paychecks.
In Defense Of Ezra Miller
Ezra Miller is Twenty-Nine years old. He has made mistakes and at this juncture in time, he doesn’t seem to be repentant over any of them.
I will go out on a limb here, and advocate for the troubled actor. We have all made mistakes when we were young. Maybe we haven’t made mistakes on as grand of a scale, but nonetheless, there isn’t a person that can throw any stones around when discussing bad decisions made in what is a tumultuous decade for every human being who has ever lived to see age 30.
Social Media, and the internet as a whole have made it virtually impossible for anybody to find a path to redemption after even the most minor of transgressions.
If Robert Downey Jr. was Twenty-Nine TODAY and garnered the reputation that he did in the nineties, would he ever be seriously considered for the role of Iron Man?
Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock were known to be overbearing and abusive to their female cast members. Would they be revered as current filmmakers?
Errol Flynn and Jack Nicholson were womanizers. Roman Polanski had issues that are inappropriate for me to mention. He maintains his respect in Hollywood. Mathew Broderick killed two people while recklessly driving in 1987. He was cast in “Glory” two years after that. Seven years later, he became the voice of Simba.
In this era of outrage, torches, pitchforks, and instant calls for cancellation, is it really so bad for a company to recognize that one of their employees is deeply troubled, and not immediately cut him loose when the mob calls for his head?
Mental Health is still an issue that is not taken as seriously in the United States, as it is in other First World Countries. So, that makes it easy for the masses to write a troubled person like Ezra Miller off as an “Entitled Elitist” and call for his very livelihood to be cut off.
Perhaps Warner Brothers recognizes that they have a rare talent that they would be foolish to let go, and are willing to work with him to get on the path to wellness.
An Opportunity For Ezra Miller’s Redemption
Ezra Miller is a gifted actor. He made mistakes, and he should definitely pay for them. As long as he does the right thing, and eventually atones for his transgressions, Warner has every reason in the world to stand by him. Much like the aforementioned Robert Downey Jr. He has the potential to redeem himself, and become the face of an entire franchise.
Hopefully, he can quell his inner demons, and go on entertaining us for years to come.
Hey there, Geeky Faithful! I want to know what you think. Should Warner send Ezra packing? Does he deserve a shot at redemption? Sound off in the comments below!
Thank You for reading. When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my wife Barbara, My two year old daughter Frankie, My feisty Ferret, Ms. Farrah Pawcett, and my drinking buddy, loyal hound dog Marbles.
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