“The Flash,” the much-delayed Warner Bros. superhero movie a couple of speedster who travels again in time to attempt to stop his mom’s homicide, is lastly, really, for actual hitting theaters on Friday. Based on the DC Comics character, the new blockbuster has survived three director adjustments and, most just lately, the authorized troubles of its star superhero, Ezra Miller.

Miller, 30, who’s nonbinary, made headlines after three separate incidents in spring 2022 by which they had been accused of harassment and yelling obscenities at a bar in Hawaii, hurling a chair and injuring a lady, and breaking right into a Vermont dwelling and stealing bottles of alcohol.

With most of these instances now resolved, right here’s a have a look at what occurred, the movie’s thorny growth historical past and the way Miller’s controversies may form the way forward for the franchise.

When did Ezra Miller become involved in “The Flash”?

Miller, then 22, was cast in 2014. At the time, the actor was identified primarily for a standout turn within the 2012 adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s young-adult novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” They have since performed the Flash in a number of movies and TV sequence within the DC Extended Universe, together with the 2016 blockbusters “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad,” in addition to 2017’s “Justice League.”

Miller was forged virtually 10 years in the past, why the delay?

“The Flash,” which was originally set to be directed by Seth Grahame-Smith for a 2018 release, was slowed by the pandemic, after which suffering from script rewrites and postproduction delays, in addition to three situations of administrators leaping ship: Grahame-Smith, Rick Famuyiwa, and the staff of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Andy Muschietti noticed the movie to the end line.

When did Miller’s authorized troubles start?

They first made headlines in March 2022 once they had been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment throughout a go to to Hilo, Hawaii. They had been accused of yelling obscenities and behaving erratically towards patrons at a karaoke bar. And it turned out that was the newest episode in a sample: The assistant police chief famous that Miller had been the topic of 10 complaints within the earlier month.

A number of weeks later, they had been charged with second-degree assault, accused of hurling a chair and injuring a lady after being requested to go away a house in Hawaii.

In Vermont, the place they lived, Miller confronted allegations that that they had broken into a neighbor’s house in May and stolen bottles of alcohol, leading to costs of trespassing, felony housebreaking and petit larceny.

Miller additionally confronted accusations of grooming involving Tokata Iron Eyes, a Lakota activist, however she has known as the allegations a “smear campaign.” Miller’s consultant declined to touch upon a second case that led to a brief order of safety filed in opposition to them.

Where do the courtroom instances stand?

In the Hawaii karaoke bar case, Miller pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and so they had been ordered to pay a $500 high quality. As a part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the harassment cost.

The assault case was referred to the prosecutor however there have been no formal costs, in line with authorities.

In the Vermont case, Miller pleaded guilty in January to trespassing, with the housebreaking and larceny counts dropped as a part of a plea deal. They had been ordered to serve one yr of probation and pay a $500 high quality, in addition to to abstain from alcohol and to undergo random drug assessments.

What has Miller mentioned about their habits?

In August, they issued an apology and mentioned they had been looking for psychological well being remedy. “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,” Miller said in a statement. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have 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.” Asked in regards to the instances this week, a spokesman for Miller pointed to the earlier assertion.

How did Warner Bros. reply?

After the primary two arrests, Warner Bros. put all of Miller’s coming tasks with the studio on maintain following an emergency assembly with the actor, in line with a Rolling Stone report.

Did the studio contemplate a alternative for “The Flash”?

It’s onerous to consider this nuclear choice was ever on the desk: Shooting on the movie had wrapped when Miller was arrested, and, on condition that they’re in most scenes, the price of recasting and reshooting the $220 million film would have been huge.

Will Miller participate in promotion for “The Flash”?

They are sitting out the customary promotional tour. At the premiere on Monday in Los Angeles, Miller walked the red carpet and gave a shoutout to the director, in line with video posted by Deadline. They additionally thanked studio executives for his or her “grace and discernment and care in the context of my life.” The studio had mentioned upfront that Miller wouldn’t make private appearances past the premiere. Earlier Michael De Luca, the chief govt of Warner Bros., told Vulture that “The Flash” is “not a P.R.-driven film” so “we don’t necessarily have to put Ezra out in front of its push.”

What different tasks have they got within the works?

Miller is having a giant June: In addition to headlining “The Flash,” they star as a younger Salvador Dalí in a brand new biopic in regards to the surrealist painter, “Daliland,” which was launched on June 9. (Ben Kingsley performs an older model of the artist.)

Things get murkier additional down the street: While “Harry Potter” followers know them for his or her function because the troubled wizard Credence Barebone within the “Fantastic Beasts” spinoff franchise, future installments in what was initially deliberate as a five-film sequence are in limbo after the poor efficiency final yr of the third entry, “The Secrets of Dumbledore.” As for future “Flash” tasks, Warner Bros. clearly has designs for the character within the DC Extended Universe, however it’s unclear if Miller would be the one within the purple swimsuit.

“Ezra is completely committed to their recovery, and we are fully supportive of that journey that they’re on right now,” Peter Safran, who together with James Gunn was named co-chief govt of DC Studios, said in January throughout an announcement of recent DC movie and TV tasks. “When the time is right, when they feel like they’re ready to have the discussion, we’ll all figure out what the best path forward is.”

Is “The Flash” any good?

Reviews have been blended, with a 67 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Kate Erbland of IndieWire wrote that “Andy Muschietti’s film has lots to offer, and frequently shows flashes (apologies) of brilliance,” however Owen Gleiberman of Variety mentioned that the multiverse conceit “becomes an excuse to throw everything but the Batcave sink at the audience.” Tom Cruise, not less than, is a fan. The Hollywood Reporter reported that, after requesting a duplicate be despatched to his Beverly Hills dwelling, he cold-called the director, Muschietti, to share his reward. It’s “everything you want in a movie,” Cruise reportedly told him.