Actors never know what they’ll be doing when they get the news of a lifetime. For Ezra Miller, his revelation that he was going to play the Flash in the Man of Steel-led DC cinematic universe came when he was having a bit of an Eat, Pray, Love situation. There was a lot of eating in a foreign place, and we’re sure there was a lot of love and praying going around after Zack Snyder dropped the news.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the Perks of Being a Wallflower star, who’ll be honored by the magazine at Sundance for being one of the next big up-and-coming actors of the new generation. In asking for his most "pinch me" moment so far, Miller revealed this little morsel:
Zack Snyder told me on the phone that he wanted me to play the Flash while I was eating a tilapia in a small Central American village. That was definitely a moment that prompted me to question the fabric of my reality.
This is for sure a reality-altering moment. The rumor going around is that most of the Justice League will be making at least cameo appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before branching off into their own solo films. That includes Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Miller’s Flash. The scarlet speedster won’t play a significant role presumably until Justice League: Part One in 2017, but Miller will be getting his own standalone film in 2018. A firm release date hasn’t been set, but it’s thought to come earlier in the year before Momoa’s Aquaman hits theaters.
Grant Gustin has been tearing up the small screen as the Flash on The CW’s Arrow spin-off, but Miller’s involvement on the big screen is a significant marker. The 22-year-old identifies himself as bisexual, making him one of the few members of the LGBT community to land a major, leading-man superhero role in a large comic book franchise. He joins the likes of Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) and Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde). Miller also has a lot of experience for such a young actor, and his dark-and-brooding past characterization makes him an interesting choice for the Flash.
Miller hasn’t spoken out all that much about his casting, but Arrow star Stephen Amell said he’s sure he’ll do a great job. In the same breath, however, he criticized the WB for the announcement. When Miller was announced as the Flash, it came along with the big reveal of DC’s nine other films that are in the works, and those were all made the "morning of the spectacular ratings of the second episodes of The Flash came in." We’re still trying to get used to the fact that we’ll have two Flashes going at the same time (presuming the series is still on the air by 2018), but we're sure the WB has some sort of master plan for all this.
