Movies with Ezra Miller: What Really Happened to Their Career

Honestly, if you look back at the early 2010s, it felt like Ezra Miller was going to be the absolute face of a new generation of cinema. They had this magnetic, slightly dangerous energy that directors just craved. But then, things got complicated. Very complicated. When people search for movies with Ezra Miller, they aren't just looking for a filmography; they’re trying to piece together a puzzle of how a massive franchise star seemingly vanished from the mainstream spotlight after headlining one of the most expensive movies ever made.

The Indie Spark: Before the Capes and Wands

Long before the CGI lightning of the DC universe, Ezra was the darling of the film festival circuit. They had this knack for playing "troubled" in a way that didn't feel like a cliché. In 2008, Afterschool put them on the map as a prep school kid who films a tragedy, but the real explosion happened with We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).

That movie is haunting. Tilda Swinton plays the mother, and Ezra plays the son, Kevin. It’s a slow-burn horror of the psyche. If you haven't seen it, be warned: it’s heavy. But Ezra’s performance was so chillingly precise that it basically guaranteed them a seat at the big table in Hollywood. They followed that up with The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), playing Patrick. It was a complete 180—joyful, vulnerable, and incredibly charismatic. For many fans, this remains their favorite Ezra Miller performance because it felt the most human.

Entering the Franchise Machine

Then came the blockbusters. It’s wild to think that at one point, Ezra was simultaneously a lead in two of the biggest properties on the planet: the Wizarding World and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

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• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016): As Credence Barebone, they brought a weird, repressed sadness to the Harry Potter prequel series. They stayed with that role through The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), though by the third film, the franchise itself was already starting to lose steam.
• The Justice League Era: Ezra’s Barry Allen was supposed to be the comic relief, the "little brother" of the Justice League. We first saw glimpses of them in Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, but 2017's Justice League (and later the Snyder Cut in 2021) was where they really got to run.

The energy was high. The paychecks were massive. Everything looked perfect on paper.

Why the Discussion Around Movies with Ezra Miller Shifted

By the time we got to 2023's The Flash, the conversation had shifted from "look at this great actor" to "can this movie even be released?"

Between 2020 and 2022, a series of public incidents—arrests in Hawaii, allegations of grooming, and a burglary charge in Vermont—turned the actor into a PR nightmare for Warner Bros. It’s rare to see a studio spend $200 million on a movie while the lead actor is actively avoiding the press and seeking treatment for "complex mental health issues."

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The Flash finally hit theaters in June 2023. Critics actually liked the performance; many said Ezra’s dual role as two different versions of Barry Allen was the best part of the film. But the box office told a different story. The movie was a massive financial "bomb," grossing only about $271 million worldwide. People just didn't show up. Whether that was "superhero fatigue" or "Ezra fatigue" is still debated by industry experts like those at The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

The 2026 Landscape: A Tentative Comeback?

So, where does that leave us today? As of early 2026, Ezra Miller hasn't exactly been a staple of the red carpet, but they haven't retired either. After a period of relative silence and intensive therapy, Miller made some public appearances in 2025, notably at the Cannes Film Festival.

There is one big project that everyone in the industry is watching: a new vampire horror film directed by Lynne Ramsay. Ramsay is the same director who worked with Ezra on We Need to Talk About Kevin, so there’s a "full circle" vibe here. This isn't a superhero movie. It's a return to those dark, gritty indie roots.

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Essential Movies with Ezra Miller (The "Must-Watch" List)

If you're looking to actually watch their work and judge the talent for yourself, skip the cameos and go straight to these:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Honestly, just a beautiful film about growing up. Ezra’s "Infinite" scene in the back of the truck is iconic for a reason.
2. We Need to Talk About Kevin: Watch this if you want to be deeply uncomfortable but impressed by a truly terrifying performance.
3. The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015): This is often overlooked. Ezra plays Daniel Culp (Prisoner 8612), and the intensity of the "breakdown" scenes is peak Miller.
4. Dalíland (2023): They play a young Salvador Dalí. It’s an eccentric, artsy role that reminds you why they were so highly regarded in the first place.

What’s Next for the Actor?

Hollywood is a weird place. It loves a comeback story, but it also has a short memory for everything except the "bottom line." The success or failure of the Lynne Ramsay vampire project will probably decide if Ezra Miller returns to being a consistent lead or remains a cautionary tale of the mid-2020s.

If you are planning a marathon of movies with Ezra Miller, start with the early indies. It’s the best way to understand the hype that originally propelled them into the stratosphere before the turbulence hit. Keep an eye on the 2026 festival circuit for updates on the Ramsay film, as that will be the true litmus test for their future in the industry.

Actionable Insight: If you want to see the performance that most critics agree is Ezra's best work, stream We Need to Talk About Kevin on platforms like Prime Video or Tubi. For a lighter look at their range, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is currently available on several major streaming services and remains a staple of 2010s coming-of-age cinema.