It’s been a while since Ezra Miller was in the news for being disruptive, but this time there’s not much question of whether or not the matter was Miller just playing around since the debacle in Hawaii made it clear that things had been taken to an extreme that people didn’t care for. But because of this, there’s a huge outcry by the fans that it might be time for Grant Gustin, who’s been portraying the CW’s Flash, to step in and take the role, which is what many people wanted to see in the first place. It’s tough to say that this would have been the perfect choice since Miller did manage to put in a decent performance in the Justice League movie. But at this point, the star’s future is rumored to be on the rocks with the DCEU, though this could be an exaggeration since gossip runs thick and heavy in Hollywood and the media is known for building the false mountain out of a molehill now and then to get the fans to react in one way or another.
In a few ways, it’s fair to state that Gustin might be the best choice at this time since he has been playing the role longer than Miller and knows the character. It would be a big step up for Gustin since going from the CW to the DCEU would be a move that might make or break his career. Whether or not it would be the right move however is tough to say since many people still feel some sense of loyalty to Miller, as many have tried to defend the actor’s mental state by insisting that Miller needs help. That’s easy enough to agree with, but at the same time, arguing the point that Ezra should be allowed to keep this role after being in trouble with the law is an easy point to debate.
If this had been Ezra’s first controversial moment it would be easy to give the actor the benefit of the doubt and think that perhaps Ezra might need treatment, therapy, or something to help Miller level out and earn back the trust of the fans. But sadly, this isn’t Ezra’s first time when it comes to being a disturbance since the actor has been in trouble for his disruptive behavior before. Ezra has been allowed to keep on with a career and go about the business of moving from one role to another for a while now and there hasn’t been any reason to think that Miller might have been tossed to the side, or even considered unworthy. At this time though, it does appear that Miller is more of a liability and that dialing it back to give Grant a chance could be the decision that feels like the best move for the DCEU. The truth is that loyalty does exist in the movies, and contracts do mean something. But when an actor makes it clear that they’re too much of a risk for not a big enough payoff, especially if it’s not guaranteed, then the people who do the hiring and decision-making are going to start shopping around.
It might be that Miller won’t be going anywhere, that someone in the front office will smooth things over and make the movie happen. One could say that the fans have spoken, but that doesn’t always mean as much as people might want to think. Fans do have the ability to sway certain individuals in Hollywood, but it’s not the type of power that can make things happen in a reliable way. Booting Ezra and bringing in Grant feels as though it would be a huge complication, but it might help the DCEU to save face since continuing to push characters that are portrayed by people who have been less than wise isn’t the best practice in the business, especially if fans are willing to speak up and voice their displeasure with those who would make it clear that they’re not willing to make their stars play by the rules. In truth, it does kind of make the point that stars can do what they want without consequences when they’re allowed to get away with such behavior at least.
Whether or not Miller will keep the role, or if Gustin will be tapped to at least try to make the movie work, is unknown. It’s a lot more likely that Miller will remain in the role and perhaps be asked to issue a public apology and serve community service. Granted, it doesn’t feel like justice, especially since Gustin knows the role and could step in without any difficulty if he wanted to. It feels more like rumor and gossip at this point, but if the fans did get their way one can imagine that they’d feel certain that their voices had made a difference.