THE FLASH movie will be featuring multiple versions of Batman with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton expected to return to the role in some capacity. The one version of Batman that we likely won't see is the one played by George Clooney in 1997's BATMAN & ROBIN. The multiverse storyline allows for any other Batman actor to potentially appear in THE FLASH but Clooney says he isn't expecting to get a call.
During a recent interview with "Empire", Clooney confirmed that Warner Bros. hasn't come to him with an offer and he's pretty sure that things are likely to stay that way:
"[Laughs] It's funny – you'll notice they didn't call me! Somehow I didn't get that call. They did not ask for my nipples. Listen, there are certain things you never know. This one, I know [laughs]."
Clooney has always been open about his regret in taking on BATMAN & ROBIN and also with the film as a whole. During a recent chat with "GQ", Clooney spoke further about the perceived lack of quality in the movie and he admitted that he believes that he was just as terrible in it as everything else. He went on to say "Having said I sucked in it, I can also say that none of these other elements worked either. You know? Lines like 'Freeze, Freeze!"
BATMAN & ROBIN was directed by the late Joel Schumacher who brought the franchise back to life a bit with 1995's BATMAN FOREVER. That film was much lighter than 1992's BATMAN RETURNS and the end result was better box office on top of merchandising sales that went through the roof. Warner Bros. wanted to go even more kid-friendly with BATMAN & ROBIN and Schumacher even admitted that he felt he was making a film that was intended to sell toys. Although the film has a bit of a cult following now, at the time of its release the film was devoured by critics and it was the lowest-grossing BATMAN film to date with a final take of $107.3 million at the domestic box office on a $125 million budget. The film also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Chris O'Donnell, Alicia Silverstone, and Michael Gough.
The failure of BATMAN & ROBIN kept the character off of the big screen until Christopher Nolan successfully rebooted the brand with 2005's BATMAN BEGINS. Nolan's DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY brought big box office and prestige back to the franchise and seemingly erased the stench of BATMAN & ROBIN. The character has appeared again in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, SUICIDE SQUAD, and JUSTICE LEAGUE and he'll be rebooted once again in 2022 as Robert Pattinson takes on the role in THE BATMAN. To be fair, I always thought Clooney was a solid Bruce Wayne because he has a natural billionaire playboy charm about him but he definitely wasn't right for Batman. At least he continues to have a sense of humor about his time with the franchise.
Do YOU think Clooney's Batman should be included in THE FLASH?