Ezra Miller will not speak to the media about his role as a superhero Flash and will only make one public appearance, at the film’s premiere on June 12 in Los Angeles. Warner Studios is therefore doing everything it can to ensure the success of the feature film, which also stars Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, and Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in Batman.
• Also read: Here are the 25 movies that will mark your summer
For a year, Ezra Miller has been collecting problems with the law.
The actor, who defines himself as non-binary and asks that we use the pronoun “iel” (the equivalent of “they/them” in English) to talk about him, was shot by police several times in 2022 arrested, received two prison sentences, juvenile restraints for molestation, was convicted of assault a few months ago and pleaded guilty to trespassing.
And that’s not counting the persistent rumors of child sex recruitment that have surrounded him for several years.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY WARNER BROS. BILD / DC COMICS
A risky bet…
The year 2022 was so intense for the artist that in August his agent released a statement in which Ezra Miller apologized for his past behavior, said he had “lived through a period of intense crisis” and indicated that he was “with the started treatment for a complex mental illness”. problems”.
• Also read: Ezra Miller says he has mental health issues
With the upcoming release of The Flash, Warner Studios decided to limit the damage as much as possible, as tolerance for excessive and reprehensible behavior from stars was no longer appropriate. So the artist is invisible, the producers let other people express themselves in their place.
Thus, one of Ezra Miller’s relatives pointed out that he deliberately wanted to stay on the fringes of promoting the blockbuster DC Movie Universe (UCDC). “Ezra wanted the film to come out and talk about the film, not Ezra. They are focused on their sanity and don’t want this to become a transaction.”
For his part, director Andy Muschietti, who has been driving the promotion of “The Flash” through interviews, pointed out, anticipating questions about a possible replacement for the 30-year-old artist in a possible sequel: “I don’t think everyone will like this character the same way.” can embody well like Ezra. The other interpretations are good, but he did an excellent job of portraying his particular vision of the character. I think the character was made for Ezra.”
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY WARNER BROS. BILD / DC COMICS
A big money question
Flash’s official production budget is between $200 million and $220 million. There’s an unofficial word behind the scenes that James Gunn, the new head of UCDC at Warner, didn’t look at the cost and that Flash cost nearly $300 million if we include the advertising campaign, which of course includes the following : Marketing efforts to boost Ezra Miller’s image.
Because James Gunn and Warner Bros. are playing big. At $300 million, The Flash becomes the ninth most expensive film in cinema history, even as Shazam! Rage of the Gods, which released last March, was a massive flop, as was Black Adam last year.
Unfortunately, The Flash could disappoint at the box office. According to several analysts, the feature film is likely to gross a small US$70 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, a less than optimistic forecast that the studios have tried to take advantage of by mentioning that Flash would be successful in due course. It remains to be seen if Ezra Miller and his Flash will escape the curse that seems to be hanging over UCDC.
Flash hits theaters on June 16th.