Warner Bros. is set to move ahead with its planned The Flash film, despite recent controversies surrounding star Ezra Miller.
The actor has been embroiled in a number of legal issues lately, most recently accusations of using violence and other intimidatory methods to influence an adolescent, as well as two arrests in Hawaii – one for disorderly conduct and harassment and another for second-degree assault. The actor has not publicly commented on these incidents at this time.
Speaking on a Q2 call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed the film going ahead (via Daily Mail): “We have seen The Flash, Black Adam and Shazam 2. We are very excited about them. We’ve seen them. We think they are terrific, and we think we can make them even better.”
It comes after Warner Bros. confirmed last week that it had axed its upcoming Batgirl film alongside the animated film Scoob! Holiday Haunt.
Claims have emerged that the cancellation wasn’t a reflection of the film’s quality but due to new management at Warner Bros. Discovery, who wanted to move back to making DC films at a blockbuster scale. However, Variety reports that a tax incentive motivated the axe, with a tax write-down reportedly seen “as the most financially sound way to recoup the costs”. Warner Bros. refused to comment on the claims.
Responding to the cancellation news, star Leslie Grace said: “Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie Batgirl, I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland. I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process!
“To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, ‘my own damn hero!’ Batgirl for life!”
Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah added in their own statement: “We still can’t believe it. As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was far from finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves. Maybe one day they will insha’Allah.”
Batgirl was also due to star J.K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino and Michael Keaton.
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