Topline
Here’s a time line of the string of legal and behavioral troubles plaguing Ezra Miller, the embattled star of the upcoming The Flash movie, including harassment, disorderly conduct and burglary charges.
Ezra Miller plays the title role in “The Flash,” premiering in June.
Timeline
April 6, 2020Video surfaces of Miller appearing to choke a woman and throw her to the ground at a bar in Iceland. (Miller’s representatives later told Vanity Fair the actor did not choke the woman but instead had a “spontaneous reaction” to a group of teens challenging Miller’s martial arts skills.)
April 2020While still in Iceland, Miller invites local musicians to spend time with them at Hótel Laugarbakki while recording music, including a then 18-year-old young woman who later alleges Miller psychologically abused her and became “fixated on her breeding capabilities,” Insider reported.
March 19, 2022The first in a series of legal issues in Hawaii, Miller is arrested for allegedly obstructing a highway in downtown Hilo and refusing to cooperate with police.
March 28, 2022Miller is arrested again in Hawaii, this time for disorderly conduct at a Honolulu karaoke bar after allegedly yelling obscenities and becoming agitated with patrons who were singing—Miller claims to have been accosted by a Nazi and accused the police of a hate crime after they referred to Miller, who is nonbinary, as “sir.”
March 29, 2022A Hilo couple files a restraining order against Miller, alleging that the star of The Flash burst into the couple’s bedroom, threatened to kill them and stole a wallet and passport (the restraining order was dropped several weeks later).
April 19, 2022Just days after the premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Miller is arrested for suspicion of second-degree assault in Pāhoa, Hawaii, after allegedly throwing a chair that struck a woman in the head, resulting in a half-inch cut.
June 2022The parents of Tokata Iron Eyes, an 18-year-old activist and member of the Sioux Nation Tribe who had known Miller since they were 12, obtain a protective order against Miller for “psychologically manipulating, physically intimidating and endangering the safety and welfare of Tokata Iron Eyes” and because Miller spoke of being a messiah who wanted to lead an Indigenous revolution, Iron Eyes’ mother told Vanity Fair.
June 10, 2022A mother and her 12-year-old child are granted a temporary harassment prevention order against Miller, who they allege showed up to their neighbor’s house wearing a bulletproof vest, acted erratically and harassed the child by touching their hips.
June 23, 2022Rolling Stone reports Miller had been housing a woman and her three young children at their home in Vermont in an allegedly unsafe environment for children, including easily accessible guns and ammunition, heavy marijuana use and unlicensed marijuana cultivation—the mother says Miller had helped her escape an abusive relationship and describes the environment as safe, but the incident prompts the Vermont Child Services Department to attempt to serve her an emergency care order to remove the children from her custody.
August 8, 2022Miller is charged with felony burglary for allegedly taking bottles of alcohol from a private Vermont residence, though this charge is dropped in January after Miller pleads guilty to trespassing.
August 15, 2022In a statement, Miller apologizes to “everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior” and promises to seek treatment for “complex mental health issues.”
Key Background
Prior to their legal issues, Miller starred in a number of successful films, including We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the Fantastic Beasts films. Miller joined the DC film universe in 2016, first appearing as The Flash in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and is set to play the lead in the upcoming film The Flash, which filmed from April 2021 to October 2021. After their legal troubles in Hawaii began several months later, Warner Bros. and DC executives held an emergency meeting on March 30, 2022, and Rolling Stone reported the consensus was to pause future projects starring Miller. Miller met with Warner Bros. film chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy in August 2022 to discuss how to stay on track for the film’s June 2023 release and to apologize for generating negative attention to the film and the studio. Miller reportedly vowed to seek treatment after learning the studio was considering all options, including canceling the film’s release. DC Studios co-chairperson Peter Safran said at a January presentation the studio is supportive of Miller, who is “completely committed to their recovery,” and discussions about Miller’s future with the franchise will occur when they are ready.
News Peg
The first trailer for The Flash premiered during the Super Bowl. It’s already racked up more than 8 million views on the Warner Bros. YouTube channel and 3.5 million on DC’s channel and generated discussion on social media, with some tweets questioning DC’s decision to move forward with a project starring Miller after their controversies. Filmmaker and DC Studios co-chairperson James Gunn, however, praised The Flash as “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”
Further Reading
