George Clooney will not be joining fellow Batman alums Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in The Flash.
In an interview with Variety, the actor explained why fans should not expect his Batman to make an appearance in the upcoming superhero film, stating, "They didn’t ask me." Clooney subsequently followed this up by quipping, "When you destroy a franchise the way I did, usually they look the other way when The Flash comes by." Clooney's wife Amal claimed, "He won’t let me watch it." In response to this, Clooney joked, "There are certain films I just go, 'I want my wife to have some respect for me.'"
This remark is no doubt a reference to the poor reception of 1997's Batman and Robin. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and marked Clooney's sole appearance as the Caped Crusader. He took over from Val Kilmer, who left the franchise after 1995's Batman Forever. The critical and commercial failure of Batman and Robin put the movie series on ice before it was revived by director Christopher Nolan in 2005 with Batman Begins, which featured Christian Bale as a new Dark Knight.
Ben Affleck recently expressed his enjoyment working on The Flash, calling the experience "a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience had been difficult. This was really lovely. Really fun." This comes on the heels of a report suggesting that Affleck's role in The Flash would be brief. Some fans have argued this might be for the best, as it could help the movie avoid the pitfalls of other over-stuffed comic book movies.
The Flash stars Ezra Miller and is directed by Andy Muschietti. The film races into theaters on Nov. 4, 2022.
Source: Variety