George Clooney, who played the Dark Knight in Batman & Robin, reflected on his tenure, admitting that he didn't think he did all that good of a job.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Clooney discussed his experience filming Batman & Robin. “[Arnold] Schwarzenegger was paid, I think, $25 million for that, which was like 20 times more than I was paid for it, and, you know, we never even worked together! We worked together one day," he said. "But I took all the heat. Now, fair deal; I was playing Batman and I wasn’t good in it, and it wasn’t a good film, but what I learned from that failure was, I had to rethink how I was working. Because now I wasn’t just an actor getting a role, I was being held responsible for the film itself.”
Batman & Robin is often regarded as one of the worst Batman films ever made, and both director Joel Schumacher and Clooney have apologized for it publicly in the past. Clooney also mentioned his time in the role led to him encouraging Ben Affleck not to play the Caped Crusader, though he admits the actor "did great."
Affleck and Clooney's tenures as the Dark Knight are now over. At this time, it's expected either Robert Pattinson or Nicholas Hoult will step into the role, though reports indicate the former is more likely.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, who will also produce alongside Dylan Clark. The film is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2021