It's time for
Warner Bros. Discovery to talk about Ezra Miller, according to crisis management experts.
The actor, who portrays superhero The Flash in the studio's DC Extended Universe, including in an upcoming big-budget film, has come under scrutiny in recent months for a pattern of disturbing behavior and allegations of misconduct.
Miller, 29, made headlines in 2020 after a video surfaced showing them appearing to violently choke a fan. However, incidents of impropriety escalated in 2022 when they were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar in Hawaii.
Hours before their court appearance in April for these charges, Miller was arrested again after an altercation in which they were accused of throwing a chair and injuring a woman.
Now, two orders of protection have been granted, one for a 12-year-old in Massachusetts and one for Gibson Iron Eyes, an 18-year-old Standing Rock activist, who was allegedly groomed by Miller, according to parents Chase Iron Eyes and Sara Jumping Eagle. Authorities have been unable to locate Miller in order to serve these orders. Gibson is believed to be traveling with Miller.
Miller notably deleted their Instagram account earlier this week after posting cryptic photos and messages that appeared to taunt police.
The allegations against Miller come almost a year before Warner Bros. is slated to release "The Flash," a $100 million film that is part of the studio's DC franchise.
"
When you start to have a string of things, that's a worrying pattern," said Tony Freinberg, president at Edendale Strategies, a crisis management and strategic communications firm. "
It's worrying about what it says about someone's well-being, and it's worrying about what it says about someone's suitability to be the face of a large Warner Bros. franchise."
"
Any one thing could be a misunderstanding," he added. "
But when you start getting into four, five, six things, you're starting to get into troubling territory."
Miller's talent agent and legal representatives did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
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Silence is not an option," said Evan Nierman,
author of "Crisis Averted" and CEO of crisis PR firm Red Banyan. "
At a certain moment choosing to say nothing, you are communicating a message."
Warner Bros. had remained quiet during Miller's assault arrests earlier this year, but sources within the company said
emergency meetings were held in April to discuss their recent controversies and how the studio would proceed going forward. At that time, it was determined that the film would remain on the slate, but Warner Bros. would pause future projects involving the actor.
The studio even teased "The Flash" during its presentation at CinemaCon in late April, suggesting that it still planned to proceed with the film's release next year.
Miller has been associated with the DCEU since the release of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" in 2016 and has been a key part of the Warner Bros.-produced "Fantastic Beasts" film series, which still has two movies left to film.
"
If they are hoping that it's just going to go away or people are going to forget about this, I think they are mistaken," Nierman said.
Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
