Test audiences are loving The Flash despite the ongoing scandal involving the film's lead star Ezra Miller.
According to industry insider ViewerAnon, The Flash movie is one of Warner Bros.' "most crowd-pleasing movies that audiences have responded to" and the film's "numbers are the highest for any DCEU movie." This statement tracks with previous reports that the DC Extended Universe film was "generating great buzz in its testing" despite new allegations surrounding Miller continuing to emerge. Warner Bros. is currently considering how best to move forward with the film and has outlined three potential scenarios, which include doing limited press for The Flash and not having Miller promote the movie. A "last resort" scenario is also being discussed that would involve shelving the film, but that would only happen if Miller's behavior continued to worsen and began negatively impacting the film's box office potential.
Warner Bros. originally announced a feature-length film starring Barry Allen/The Flash in 2014, with a theatrical release pegged for 2018. However, the film was delayed multiple times since its announcement and went through several directors and writers before Andy Muschietti and Christina Hodson stayed on as the film's director and screenwriter, respectively. Principal photography began in April 2021 in England and wrapped later that year in October. The upcoming DCEU film will take inspiration from the comic book storyline Flashpoint and feature multiple versions of The Flash as well as both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton's versions of Batman.
Ezra Miller Continues to Cast a Shadow Over The Flash
Miller has been at the forefront of several major controversies in 2022, with the latest involving them housing a mother and her three children at a cannabis farm with loose firearms in June. The actor was also reported to have spent the last few months driving around the United States, armed and wearing a bulletproof vest, believing they are being followed by the FBI and the Ku Klux Klan. They also face a felony burglary charge in an incident where they were allegedly caught on camera stealing from a Vermont home. New details surrounding Miller's time in Iceland have also surfaced, which suggested that the actor displayed cult-like behavior while living in the country in 2020.
Miller stars in The Flash alongside Keaton, Affleck, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, Maribel Verdú, Temuera Morrison, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso and Luke Brandon Field. At this time, The Flash is still scheduled to open in theaters on June 23, 2023.
Source: Twitter