George Clooney reveals why he's not back as Batman in The Flash

Batman & Robin
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

George Clooney has revealed why he won't be back for The Flash.

"They didn't ask me,” Clooney told Variety. "When you destroy a franchise the way I did, usually they look the other way when The Flash comes by."

Clooney starred as Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, released in 1997. The film took a very campy and comedic approach to the Caped Crusader, which didn't go down well with some viewers. Uma Therman co-starred as Poison Ivy, while Arnold Schwarzenegger played the puntastic Mr. Freeze, and Chris O'Donnell played Robin with Alicia Silverstone playing Batgirl. 

"There are certain films I just go, 'I want my wife to have some respect for me,'" Clooney added, after Amal Clooney revealed her husband won't let her watch the movie.

The Flash sees the return of Ben Affleck as Batman, as well as Michael Keaton reprising his role from Tim Burton's '80s movies.

"It was a lot of fun, I had a great time," Affleck recently told Variety of his time shooting The Flash. He added: "It was a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience [Justice League] had been difficult."

The Flash is expected to take inspiration from the Flashpoint comic book story, which saw the titular speedster Barry Allen accidentally destroy the timeline after traveling back in time to prevent his mother's death. Ezra Miller stars as Barry, while Sasha Calle appears as Supergirl, and Kiersey Clemons returns as Iris West. Maribel Verdú plays Barry's mother Nora Allen, and Ron Livingston replaces Billy Crudup as Henry Allen due to scheduling conflicts. 

The Flash arrives November 4, 2022. Until then, check out how to watch DC movies in order for the ultimate movie marathon.

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.