The ongoing saga of the controversial DC Extended Universe The Flash star Ezra Miller has apparently reached a shocking new level, at least according to a new report.
A lengthy, blistering piece published by Vanity Fair claims that the full extent of Miller's now-self-admitted mental health issues manifested in a manner directly connected to their role in the DCEU as Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash. As a source told the publication, the actor was caught "claiming that the Flash is the one who brings the multiverses together just like Jesus." While that might just seem like a slightly hyperbolic quote, it also elaborates that an altar kept at Miller's now-infamous Vermont farm estate contains "Flash figurines" alongside bullets, weed and sage. Indeed, Miller's character -- in the world of fiction -- will be central to events based on the DC Comics "Flashpoint" storyline, which will see the Multiverse unravel for the DCEU going forward, facilitating the return of Michael Keaton's classic Batman alongside Ben Affleck's current version, possibly with even more doppelgangers.
The actor's messianic self-perception also reportedly led to an argument with Susan Sarandon, from whom they expected an offering to the Flash-filled altar. "A lot of times he makes the women put their cell phones on the altar when they come in, and other offerings," a longtime friend told VF. "Ezra freaked out recently…demanding that Susan Sarandon come pay tribute to his altar because she didn’t invite Ezra to a dinner party." Miller's rep responded to the unconfirmed claim, stating that both they and Sarandon "are dear friends" and "would probably call this [anecdote] total bullshit if asked." However, a source told VF that Miller's savior conceit eventually evolved to the point of claiming that "they are some kind of messiah, and they’re going to lead an Indigenous revolution," despite not having indigenous ancestry.
The actor, of course, has racked up a laundry list of legal troubles, be it felony burglary in Vermont, accusations of abusive behavior in Germany and even grooming and brainwashing of a teenage boy. Pertinently, a report from August claimed that Miller's stay at an Airbnb in Reykjavik, Iceland turned the place into a cult-like commune filled with people who behaved like worshipers and even allegedly threatened people who attempted to leave. The claim mirrors Miller's alleged behavior in Vermont, where, in August, Child Services attempted an intervention based on the allegation that he was hiding a 25-year-old mother and her three children.
Miller's role as Barry Allen/Flash was planned as a central element in director Zack Snyder's burgeoning DCEU. While that version of the character first appeared in the Joss Whedon-directed 2017 theatrical version of Justice League, the debut was preceded by a context-deprived, time-crossing cameo in Snyder's 2016 entry, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, followed by another brief cameo that same year in director David Ayer's Suicide Squad. After playing a prominent role the following year in Justice League, Miller even fielded a Multiverse-evoking cameo alongside their television counterpart Grant Gustin on an episode of The CW's Arrow. Plus, viewers got to see even more of Miller's Flash in the 2021 redux Zack Snyder's Justice League, which also provided a preview of Kiersey Clemons' role as the hero's love interest, Iris West.
While all of those appearances were designed to build toward the actor's solo-headlining debut in the upcoming movie simply titled The Flash, the conventional logic of fans has long-assumed that Miller's controversies would derail such an endeavor. This idea gained further momentum in light of the current chaos with Warner Bros. Discovery's controversial shelving of the $90-million-deep Batgirl movie along with all the nixed television projects and film delays that have followed. However, it appears that The Flash is, at least thus far, a Teflon project at the studio, which is still moving forward with the movie, especially off Miller's recent mea culpa made to the studios bosses and a promise to seek help.
The Flash is (still) currently scheduled to hit theaters on June 23, 2023.
Source: Vanity Fair