1. (From The Los Angeles Times) THE HEADLINE: Ezra Miller grooming allegations deepen, court ‘cannot locate or serve’ the actor. The parents of an 18-year-old from North Dakota have obtained a protective order against “The Flash” star Ezra Miller, adding another scandal for the embattled actor to contend with. But the teen’s parents and law enforcement are having a hard time locating Miller to serve the actor with the order, which accuses Miller of “physically and emotionally abusing” and grooming the teen.
CHRIS
• (SLIDE 0) Attorney and activist Chase Iron Eyes and his wife, Sara Jumping Eagle, petitioned the Standing Rock Sioux tribal court on a reservation in North Dakota Tuesday to issue an order of protection for their child, Tokata Iron Eyes.
• the court “will grant the relief requested” in the petition for a restraining order if Miller, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, doesn’t appear at the hearing. It cites the federal Violence Against Women Act, which gives the order broad jurisdiction nationwide.
• (SLIDE 1) “They move around so much [that] we’re stuck in this legal limbo situation.
• Although Tokata is 18, the parents are still considered the teen’s legal guardians under tribal court rules, Chase Iron Eyes said. The family said it’s been working for months and in multiple states to get Tokata to leave Miller so that Tokata can “be their beautiful independent self.”
• the petition said, and while there, Jumping Eagle alleged that Miller assaulted her. Jumping Eagle filed an incident report with the Santa Monica Police Department.
• (SLIDE 2) Tokata and Miller allegedly met at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota in 2016 when Tokata was 12 and Miller was 23. Miller allegedly exhibited a “pattern of corrupting a minor,” the family’s petition said.
• “Ezra uses violence, intimidation, the threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata,” said the filing, which listed several alleged incidents of impropriety.
TOKATA RESPONDS
An Instagram account that the family said belongs to Tokata issued a statement Monday to “acknowledge the tragedy that is the narrative of the general public and the assumptions made on my behalf by my family and friends regarding my stability and otherwise.”
(SLIDE 3) “I dropped out of [Bard] five months ago, my friend and comrade William passed shortly thereafter, my mind was incredibly impacted and I’ve needed space and time for the processing of grief,” the statement said. “My comrade Ezra Miller for the entirety of the aforementioned era has only provided loving support and invaluable protection throughout this period of loss.”The statement also said that Tokata’s father’s accusations “hold no weight and are frankly transphobic” and accuse him of “emotional and psychological manipulation.”
Jumping Eagle told The Times that Tokata hasn’t had a phone for some time and that she doubts Tokata wrote the Monday statement. She also alleges that Miller “has control” of Tokata’s Instagram account and that the statement is written in language she’s heard Miller use.
Tokata then appeared in an Instagram video on that same account Thursday to “clarify [that the statements] are directly from me” and that nobody else is controlling Tokata’s Instagram account. (The person running the @tokatawin account on Instagram did not reply to The Times’ request for comment.)
“It’s really distressing that the narrative of the ‘victim in question is not being granted any trust. I worked really hard to make really clear what was going on,” Tokata said Thursday in the video, adding that “it’s nobody’s business and that no one is owed a story or an outcome. This is my life. These are my decisions, and I’m disappointed in my parents and the press in every way.”
“When is Ezra going to talk? If Tokata is in charge of her own destiny then she will determine to come back to Standing Rock to reclaim her credibility,” Chase Iron Eyes told The Times after Tokata’s latest video was posted. “Same goes for Ezra.”
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ long-anticipated film “The Flash,” which stars Miller as the titular hero, is set for release on June 23, 2023. It’s unclear how much Miller will participate in the lead-up to it.
Representatives for the studio did not respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.
2. (From IGN) HEADLINE: There Is Already a Hate Group Against Ms. Marvel and It Is Just Pathetic
Even though a single episode has been released so far, the Ms. Marvel Disney+ show has excited the massive South Asian community, as the culture finally receives a proper representation in the world of superheroes. The Pakistani-American superhero had become a groundbreaking character when she was first introduced in Marvel Comics by writer G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat, and Adrian Alphona in 2013, and it seems like Kamala Khan will very likely have a similar impact in live-action superhero media as well.
The Facebook Groups Message: Ms. Marvel might be the biggest slap in the face for conservative Christians to date!!! Disney has decided that the face of this franchise should not be Carol Danvers but should instead be a gay Muslim. no more straight Christian characters from Marvel. those days are over. please join us as we let Disney know that we will not BE CANCELLED!!!
3. FROM VARIETY (HEADLINE) Julia Garner Offered Madonna Role in Universal Biopic.
“Inventing Anna” actress Julia Garner has been offered the role of Madonna in a forthcoming biopic about the pop icon, sources familiar with the project told Variety.
Garner has emerged the favorite from over a dozen candidates, one insider added and has for months been speculated as a frontrunner for the part — a performance Madonna will shepherd herself as director. Garner’s team is considering and expected to accept the offer, said another source.