Ben Affleck says he doesn't know if George Clooney's take on Batman will appear in DC's upcoming Bat-fest The Flash, but he won't rule it out.
While on Jimmy Kimmel Live promoting the Clooney-directed film The Tender Bar, Affleck touched on his own appearance in 2022's The Flash and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated DC Extended Universe entry. "So, you're Batman in the Flash movie, that's something you can confirm," Kimmel began. "Michael Keaton is also Batman in the Flash movie -- is George Clooney in the Flash movie?" Affleck responded, "If he is, he hasn't told me." After some encouragement from Kimmel, Affleck admitted, "I mean, it's possible -- he may be very guarded . . . I don't believe he's in The Flash, but I mean, I didn't even see Michael Keaton [on the set of The Flash], so maybe."
Clooney played Batman in 1997's Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman. The actor has been quite vocal in recent years about his performance in the campy flick, even going so far as to say he "destroyed" the Batman franchise and joking that the film is on the "banned list" in the Clooney household. To Clooney's credit on that point, Batman & Robin stands as one of the most widely panned superhero movies of all time -- it currently holds a 12% critics' approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In October, Clooney refuted rumors that he might appear in The Flash, saying, "They didn't ask me." However, considering all the hubbub surrounding castings in recent Marvel entries, some fans are slow to trust even outright denials from rumored cast members in high-profile productions like this one.
Aside from The Tender Bar, Affleck and Clooney co-produced 2012's Argo and have maintained a close friendship for years. Clooney joked in 2019 that his advice for Affleck when it came to taking on the Batman role was "Don't do it." Affleck ultimately went his own way, making his debut as Batman in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He later reprised the role for Suicide Squad and Justice League.
The Flash also stars Ezra Miller as the titular Flash, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West Allen and Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen. Production on The Flash wrapped in October -- a six-year journey for the film. It arrives in theaters Nov. 4, 2022 as the 12th big-screen installment in the DCEU.
Source: YouTube