Ezra Miller Finally Apologizes, But is it Too Late for ‘The Flash’?

After many months of controversy surrounding their behavior, now controversial actor Ezra Miller finally apologized for their actions on August 16.  Miller stated, “Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment.  I want to apologize to everyone that I have been alarmed and upset with my past behavior.  I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”  While it may be true that Miller is indeed, hopefully, receiving the treatment he desperately needs, many fans and outlets have been quick to call out that this apology was more than likely pushed by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Credit to Warner Bros.

After the cancellation of Batgirl and various other productions under new CEO David Zaslov, many people were left wondering what the fate of the 2023 movie The Flash would be.  After all, Batgirl was cancelled as a tax writeoff after quality concerns, despite the film being entirely shot.  Although the move was controversial, from a business perspective, it makes sense to cancel this film.  If the quality of the film is subpar, then the DCEU would only take another hit as the company tries to steer the ship in the right direction.  Given the smaller budget of this film, the safe option would be to take the tax writeoff and minimize any losses.  The Flash, however, doesn’t quite have the same luxury.  While it’s been reported that test screenings for the 2023 film were less than stellar, reports of many reshoots taking place this year have indicated the film to be heavily altered from it’s current state, despite a complete production.  Combine this with the excessive number of delays, a star-studded cast, an opportunity to redirect the DCEU given the time-travelling nature of the film, and this project is currently holding a budget of over $200 million, cancelling the film would still result in heavy losses than if they were to simply release it and recouperate something.

This left WBD with reportedly three options.  Option 1, have Ezra Miller apologize for their behavior and seek out therapy, and continue with the release of the film.  Option 2, cut Ezra Miller from any and all marketing for The Flash, and release it quietly on HBO Max.  Finally, Option 3, cancel the release of the film all together.  Given the timing of these reports coming out, it comes as little surprise that Option 1 is what they have selected.  And while this may be an attempt to garner back good will for The Flash, it seems many are seeing through the play and it is instead backfiring on WBD.

Courtesy of Flightrisk/BACKGRID

Already, their are rumblings that the executive board at WBD will overrule Zaslov’s decision, and opt for cancelling the film, as many fans have pushed back against Miller’s apology and WBD for still keeping Miller and The Flash on their slate.  It’s perhaps for this reason, that cancelling the film and cutting ties with Miller, while financially damaging in the short-term, may actually prove more beneficial for WBD and the DCEU in the long term.  Given this film has had arguably a worse production history than any other DC film, with the possible exception of Justice League and the superior Snyder Cut.  With the upcoming Black Adam film promised to be a cornerstone for DC in terms of the direction they will take for the next ten years, focusing more on that character and building him up to become a threat to many of the existing DCEU characters would be a smart move, something that would undoubtedly become complicated with The Flash’s rumored plot point on changing the timeline and recasting many of the existing characters.

In addition, it would help garner back the good will the company desperately needs, following the controversies with Amber Heard and the cancelation of Batgirl and other films.  It may well be a shaky path, and they may stumble, but if it means they can run free of any controversy in future, then it’s perhaps the best chance WBD has at restoring good faith, and making the DCEU something to be reckoned with.