Even though the circumstances were completely outwith the studio’s control, the timing of Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon presentation was hardly ideal, given the headlines being made by two DCEU stars to have major roles to play in a pair of the franchise’s most hotly-anticipated projects ever.
Ezra Miller has been struggling to keep himself out of trouble following several high-profile and heavily-publicized incidents to have occurred in the last few weeks, while Amber Heard has been everywhere you look as her defamation trial opposite ex-husband Johnny Depp continues in front of the cameras.
That put WB in an unfortunate position, given that Miller plays the title role in The Flash and Heard takes second billing behind Jason Momoa in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, so it’s not like CinemaCon attendees could be shown footage that completely erases the respective lightning rods for controversy.
As it turned out, Heard was largely excised from the Aquaman 2 sizzle reel shown at the event, while The Flash promo ended with the spotlight being shone directly on Michael Keaton’s returning Batman, as opposed to Miller’s Barry Allen.
Despite reports of crisis meeting being held to discuss Miller’s future as part of a series he initially joined way back in 2014, on top of legal documents claiming Heard was almost booted out as Mera due to “chemistry concerns” with Jason Momoa, Warner Bros. and latterly Discovery have been handling the situation about as diplomatically as can be expected.
Regardless of what happens between now and then to the aforementioned duo, there’s a whole lot riding on the success of The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.