The Flash has been making unexpected headlines in the past months due to Ezra Miller's series of controversies. The DCEU actor has been involved in various legal incidents, starting with several arrests in Hawaii.
In addition, Miller also receive a protective order on behalf of their offspring and, just recently, they were charged with felony burglary in Vermont after allegedly lifting bottles of alcohol from a local home.
Amid the series of controversies, The Flash is still slated to premiere in 2023, with a report stating that Warner Bros. is "committed" to the movie's release.
Coincidentally, a day after Miller was charged with felony burglary, the Toronto Film Festival announced Daliland, a Salvador Dali biopic starring Ben Kingsley and the actor. However, Miller was left out of the movie's official press announcement, likely correlating with his legal and public image issues.
Now, a special preview of Daliland has been unveiled online.
Ezra Miller's Next Movie After The Flash Revealed
Daliland director Mary Harron sat down with Vanity Fair to talk about the upcoming biopic while also revealing details about Ezra Miller's inclusion in the film.
Harron first admitted that Miller was one of the first people thought of when she began developing the movie, envisioning the actor as James Linton, the second lead who is a fictionalized young gallery worker who becomes enchanted:
“It was after The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and they were the original choice to play James. They were very interested.”
However, the American Psycho filmmaker revealed that the producers told her that she can't cast the actor since they are "not a big enough star," but when Miller became a big enough star, it was too late:
“At that point, the producers and everyone were saying, ’Well, you can’t cast them because they’re not a big enough star. And then a year later they were too big a star and had to drop out because they got Fantastic Beasts, and then later got The Flash.”
Ultimately, Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley joined Daliland in the lead role, with Christopher Briney taking over Miller's role as James. Despite that, Harron was determined to keep the actor involved even for a different role, thus leading to Miller portraying the younger version of the character:
“I thought it’s a shame because they’re such a good actor. What about getting them to play young Salvador Dalí? It doesn’t matter how busy they are. We can consolidate [the scenes] and shoot them in one week.”
The director also explained why Miller is her choice for the young Dali:
“Whoever plays young Dalí, they have to be the young Ben Kingsley. And one thing about Ben is there is a tremendous focus and intensity.”
Although Miller's schedule didn't free them up for Daliland, Harron shared that the actor "stayed loyal" to the project:
“They stayed very loyal to the project for years, even when other people dropped out right and left because of schedule changes and the pandemic.”
Although Daliland's TIFF announcement didn't include Miller's name, Harron reassured that Miller is included, even praising their "completely realized performance" in the movie while also acknowledging the omission:
“They turned in a completely realized performance. They were very professional and nice to everybody. There was no trouble or a sign of trouble on set. So it was very upsetting and terrible to read what happened later. Reading this stuff was very sad—very sad for everybody involved. Hopefully they are getting help for what sounds like a very, very serious break.”
Amid the controversy surrounding The Flash actor, Harron admitted that it would have been difficult to remove them from the project since the movie was "completely finished."
The director then pointed out the situation would've been different if their bad behavior happened on set:
“The film was completely finished and wrapped. It might have been different, especially if we were shooting, if there had been bad behavior during that. But this all happened after the film was not only filmed, but edited and mixed and done. I also felt like everybody shot all those things in good faith. Nothing bad happened during our filming, and the film is the film.”
Harron also revealed her honest thoughts about Miller's controversy, noting:
“I’m not condoning anything they’ve done wrong. I think it doesn’t matter how talented someone is, if they’ve done anything wrong, they have to face it. I also think that clearly this is not just a young star acting out. This is much more serious. This seems like something that needs a serious intervention, which I hope has happened.”
Vanity Fair also confirmed that Miller only has three sequences in Daliland, revealing that their role is "colorful but brief."
In the movie, it was revealed that Ben Kingsley sometimes appears in Miller's scenes as the older Dali who is watching the memories of his younger self. Kingsley opened up about working with the actor:
“We share scenes, but we don’t actually interact. I found that he was completely immersed in the process of young Dalí, surrendering his soul for life to another. There is a scene where he speaks and I mouth his words as a recollection.”
The Iron Man 3 villain actor also described his scene with Miller as "a duet," saying:
“Whenever I describe working with a fellow actor as a duet, it means it’s probably 10 out of 10.”
Christopher Briney also discussed working with Miller during production, saying that the actor was "very welcoming:"
“I did have some encounters with Ezra. And I can’t speak to the controversy and all that. I just don’t know what to say, and I don’t have a broad enough perspective on the situation. But they were there my first two days on set, and I will say they were really, incredibly warm to me and very welcoming,”
Briney then shared a touching moment between him and Miller:
"On my very first day on any professional set, Ezra spent their entire lunch just chatting with me about acting and their start.
Will Ezra Miller Receive More Movie Roles After The Flash & Daliland?
At this stage, it is unknown if Ezra Miller will get the chance for more acting jobs after their series of controversies. Despite that, the actor has been making tremendous efforts toward their recovery, potentially leading to a better future for their career.
Although they can't comment on the issues that the actor is facing, the positive remarks of Daliland director Mary Haron, Ben Kingsley, and Christopher Briney, could serve as motivation for Miller to recover, especially after the filmmaker praised their exceptional talent.
It remains to be seen if Miller will be present during both films' promotional drive, but many would agree that it would be best for the actor to sit them out in order to avoid being bombarded by questions from the press.
While the controversy surrounding the actor is far from over, Miller's continued commitment to their recovery is a promising sign that, hopefully, will continue in the coming months.
Daliland is set to premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, September 17.
