In the wake of Ezra Miller’s most recent arrest and the future of their superhero movie, The Flash, Miller has issued their first apology, thus kicking off the Ezra Miller Apology Tour. In an exclusive statement to Variety, Miller said: “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. […] 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.”
Truly wishing Miller the best on their road to recovery, but the timing sure is suspect. Just a week after it’s put out into the world that they are likely done as The Flash and that the movie could even be shelved like Batgirl, NOW they understand they’re “suffering complex mental health issues” and have begun treatment. It also plays into Warner Brothers’ purported preferred strategy for dealing with Miller and The Flash, which is due out next July: that Miller emerge after a period of treatment and/or rehab, give public apologies and a remorseful interview, and allow the Warners’ marketing department to form some kind of redemption narrative to go with the film’s release. I hope they are sincere and getting the help they need, but it just looks a lot like Warners’ is getting their wish here.
Of course, there are still all these arrests and charges to deal with, and the questions about Miller’s actions in Iceland and Germany as well. This situation is far from over, and given the literal global scale of Miller’s problems, even the most sensitively managed and sincere apology tour may not be able to fix it. And EVEN IF they do manage to get through the next year and the release of The Flash without further incident, Miller’s time as the speedster is probably still over, though one person I have spoken to at Warners thinks Miller’s performance is “charismatic” enough to win back the public, which everyone knows is fickle. The next phase of this will be that repentant interview. Wonder who will conduct it?
