Ezra Miller’s Future Uncertain as Accusations and Controversy Grows

Although best known for their performance in the role of the speedy hero of the DC Universe, the Flash, as well as appearing as Credence in the Fantastic Beasts film series, Ezra Miller has found themselves becoming the center of controversy.

Born in 1992, Miller, who identifies as non-binary, made their debut in the 2008 film Afterschool, directed by Antonio Campos, and since appeared in various other film and televisions works, such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Royal Pains, and minor appearances in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Invincible.  It wasn’t until their performance as the DCEU’s version of the Flash, and the powerful yet tragic character of Credence in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, that Miller’s popularity came into the mainstream.

Photo by Vera Anderson/WireImage

Yet as more eyes were on Miller, the more controversy the actor enveloped themselves in.  Prior to 2020, Miller’s only notable legal issue was two citations for disorderly conduct during the filming of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in Pittsburgh, which initially was a charge for drug possession as they had been found with twenty grams of marijuana.  This, however, would prove only to be a minor controversy.

While drug use is a controversial subject, with varying opinions on the matter, Miller has since faced far more scrutiny due to troubling behavior in the past few years.  This began in April 2020, when a now-deleted tweet showed a video of Miller choking a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland, before throwing her to the ground.  Miller would often go to the bar during their stay in Iceland, when on April 1, they were approached by eager fans.  Miller at some point, lost their temper, when the incident had occurred, afterward being escorted off the premises.

Incidents would become even more frequent in 2022; the first notable incidents happening in Hawaii.  On March 28, Miller would be arrested after reportedly physically and verbally assaulting various people at a karaoke bar.  Following this, on April 19, Miller would once again be arrested for second-degree assault, after having thrown a chair at a woman, leaving her with a deep cut on her forehead.  It wouldn’t be long after this incident, that Miller would plead no contest for the March 28 incident, being charged $500 for disorderly conduct.

Courtesy of NJ

The most recent incidents would occur this month; the first of these incidents to come to light was a restraining order by the Standing Rock Sioux tribal court for the protection of Tokata Iron Eyes, a Native American activist born to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.  The order, requested by her parents, Chase Iron Eyes and Sara Jumping Eagle, was due in part to a relationship that began between Miller and Tokata in 2016; at the time, Miller was 23, and Tokata was 12.  Tokata’s parents would accuse Miller of grooming her and would state Miller would use violence, and drugs, and even have her fly to visit them whilst filming The Crimes of Grindelwald.  Following the issue of the order, Miller would post messages on Instagram, mocking law enforcement’s attempts to serve him the order.  Not long after this, on June 16, a mother and her 12-year-old daughter would be granted a restraining order against the actor in Massachusetts, after reportedly threatening the woman’s family and acting inappropriately toward the daughter, reportedly holding a gun while holding a bullet-proof vest, and ‘uncomfortably’ touching the girl’s hips.

Most recently, a father of three, all aged 1-5, claimed that they alongside their 25-year-old mother had been living on Miller’s farm in Stamford, Vermont, for the past few months in unsafe conditions, with two sources claiming there to be a number of unattended weapons around the house.  Despite the claims, the father states that the local police were unresponsive and a social worker of the state’s Department for Children and Families reportedly visited the house in May and didn’t see any issues.  The mother claims that Miller has been helping her and her children leave an abusive relationship, and according to Rolling Stone, was still posting pictures of the farm on Instagram, as of June 20(Roundtree 2022).

With all of these controversies and accusations, many following the story closely have been left wondering what will become of the actor in the entertainment industry, and how various companies will respond?  Most eyes, in this case, are on Warner Bros, no stranger to celebrity controversy in the past few years with Johnny Depp, the former actor of the character of Grindelwald before being replaced by Mads Mikkelson, and Amber Heard, actress of the DC character Mera, typically associated with the Aquaman films; both franchises Miller has prominent roles in.

Courtesy of People

Warner Bros. would face heavy scrutiny from fans with their handling of the Depp and Heard situation, as many would claim that the company would prematurely fire Depp, despite not being able to prove his innocence.  It would later come out during the trial this past year, that Heard’s role in the sequel to Aquaman was greatly diminished, getting less than 10 minutes of screentime.  Despite this information, and Depp’s victory in the trial, many fans have continued to express disappointment at Warner Bros.’s actions, and many still have issues with her still having a presence in the upcoming film.

With the controversies surrounding Miller, many fans are now expressing their frustration with Warner Bros. seeming inaction in firing Miller, despite multiple videos and accusations from multiple sources aimed at the actor.  One Twitter user, @EddyBeeDolls, would state “It shouldn’t take this long for @warnerbros to tell us they officially fired Ezra Miller and Amber Heard.  It’s not a cute look to remain silent.  You have an abuser still in Aquaman 2 and a predator/groomer still as The Flash”(Betancourt Jr, 2021).

This has many now wondering what the company will do with the upcoming Flash film, coming out in 2023, and the future films in the Fantastic Beast franchise.

For the latter, this could be handled in a similar manner in which Depp was let go of the role, where the character of Credence could be recast going forward.  For the DCEU, however, things are far more complicated, especially with the upcoming The Flash.

Credit to Warner Bros.

Unlike Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, in which Mera is mainly a supporting character, thus allowing the company to more easily reduce Heard’s role in the film, Ezra Miller will play multiple versions of the titular character, as it tells a multiversal story, which sees the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman, as well as featuring the DCEU debut of Batgirl and Supergirl.  As a result, some, such as Forbes, speculate that the film will receive a quiet release on HBO Max, rather than a theatrical release, as the film is already deep in post-production, leaving Warner Bros. unlikely to cancel its release given the over $200 million budget, also as unlikely would be a complete reshoot of the film to exclude Miller or focus on different characters(Mendelson 2022).  It’s also uncertain if they may keep his salary for the project, much like Depp had when he was let go from the second Fantastic Beasts film, The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Other projects, such as the upcoming film Daliland, based on the painter Salvador Dali, directed by Mary Harron and starring Ben Kingsley, are expected to also be affected by the project as well, as Miller is set to play a young version of the painter.

As of July 1, it is still uncertain how these companies will proceed forward with the seemingly ever-growing list of controversies the actor has found themselves in.