by James Gunn is putting to rest rumors that George Clooney will reprise his role as Batman.
THE Guardians of the Galaxy The director, 56, took to social media on Saturday to shut down the onslaught of questions about whether Clooney, 61, would reprise his role from the 1997 film Batman and robinin which he played the Caped Crusader.
Gunn, who now shares the role of studio head at DC Studios with Peter Safran, originally posted a photo of a smiling dog. But fans couldn’t resist leaving comments as to whether Clooney would return to the screen in the role.
“Is it true you’re casting George Clooney as the DCU’s new lead Batman?” he asked for a follower.
In response, Gunn wrote, “Absolutely not.”
In a follow-up question, another fan asked if the role would be played by someone who has played Batman before. Everyone from Christian Bale and Ben Affleck to Val Kilmer and Michael Keaton have tackled the role of Bruce Wayne. The most recent to do so, Robert Pattison, is expected to reprise the role in 2025 Batman Part II.
“That means we still have an actor who already has Batman or [we are] putting together a new actor?” asked the fan.
Gunn responded with just two words: “New Actor.”
Many believe that the rumors of Clooney’s return originated from a tweets in which journalist Grace Randolph wrote: “I’ve heard that an ex #Batman will make a cameo at the end of #TheFlash and could potentially remain as the new permanent #DCU Batman.” Though she initially said she knew who it would be, Randolph later said she was “excited to see who Gunn picks as her #Batman.”
Just over a week ago, Gunn posted a video to his Instagram page in which he spoke candidly about the evolution of DC Studios and his plans since becoming co-CEO with Safran in late 2022.
“As many of you know, DC has been disconnected from film and television for a long time. It’s one of our jobs, mine and Peter’s, to come in and make sure the DCU is connected to film, television, games and animation. That characters are consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within a story,” Gunn said. “And if there’s something outside of that, like Matt Reeves Batmanor Todd Phillips JokerOR Teen Titans Go!it’s clearly branded as DC Elseworld, outside of the mainstream of DCU continuity.”
Gunn went on to say that he and his colleagues mapped out an eight- to 10-year plan for DC Studios, with the first chapter titled “Gods and Monsters.” He went on to discuss several projects that are in the works, which Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller on the HBO Max show wallerAND Lanternsan HBO Max series about the Green Lantern Corps.
“I’ve loved DC characters since I was a kid. They’re incredibly important to me. I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something very different,” he concluded. “Storytelling is always king. That’s all that matters to us. And I want to be true to those stories, true to you guys, and really give you something different than you’ve ever seen before.”
Yahoo Entertainment previously reported that Gunn acknowledged the studio would face an uphill battle as they attempt to return DC to box office dominance.
“The stakes are huge,” Gunn said, Expiration reported. “It was a brand in shambles and it’s an opportunity to build an amazing self-contained studio with the best IP and best stories in the world.”
