Fantastic Beasts 3 star Ezra Miller cast as Trashcan Man in horror series The Stand
The Flash star is playing someone from the opposite side to the good vs evil spectrum in the new series.
The star of Fantastic Beasts 3 and The Flash, Ezra Miller, has revealed he's playing the ultimate pyromanic villain, Trashcan Man, in a series based on Stephen King's novel The Stand.
It's been known for some time that Miller was going to feature in the CBS All Access post-apocalyptic series, but exactly which character was secret until today.
Miller said getting into character meant starting with his flameproof underwear, according to EW.
He emailed from the set of Fantastic Beasts 3: "What excites me is the deception of behaviour and appearances. Trash is the underestimated and misinterpreted amongst us.
“I was very interested in working directly with the wardrobe department in creating a look based entirely on the practical demands of the characters pyromania. Trash wears nothing but what is necessary to craft incendiaries, ignite them, and get as close to the flames as possible — in order to revel in the fire.”
The Stand showrunner Benjamin Cavell said: “[Ezra is] a huge fan of the book and had fallen in love with this character and wanted to play it for a long time. On our first call, he described Trash as ‘the embodiment of pyromania.’ The only thing this guy was capable of, and the only area in life he was comfortable, were with the explosives and instruments of fire and destruction.”
“He wears basically no clothes except for his extensive tactical gear,” said Cavell. “So he just kind of in underwear and combat boots … the character has to be right on the edge of over-the-top. But no matter how strangely he’s behaving there’s always this Ezra Miller soul as a twinkle coming through. I can’t say enough about how brilliant he is in it.”
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The Stand is based on King's 1978 horror novel about a global pandemic that kills 99 per cent of the population, leaving two warring groups – a group of villainous survivors in New Vegas and a group of good people based in Boulder and led by Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg), with James Marsden (Stu Redman), Odessa Young (Frannie Goldsmith), Jovan Adepo (Larry Underwood), Amber Heard (Nadine Cross) and Owen Teague (Harold Lauder) among them.
It's easy to guess that Trashcan Man belongs to the New Vegas gang, led by Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard).
Marilyn Manson was rumoured to be in the running for the role, but Cavell said he was actually considered for another role in The Stand, The Kid, who ultimately didn't wind up in the shooting script.
Miller is current filming his recurring role as Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts 3, another blockbuster of indeterminate schedule. It was due to premiere in November 2021, but it's unclear if that is still the official date.
The Stand premieres on 17th December in the US. It's not yet clear when it will screen in the UK.
Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or take a look at our new TV shows 2020 page to find out what's airing this autumn and beyond.
