George Clooney jokingly states his version of Batman from Batman and Robin is the best one in a funny new video. Clooney played Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 1997 sequel from director Joel Schumacher, taking over for Val Kilmer, who played the character in the prior entry, Batman Forever. Michael Keaton was the first live-action feature-film Batman, who opted out of the franchise after Tim Burton's Batman Returns, although he is set to reappear as the character in next year's The Flash with Ezra Miller.
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Clooney took on the role just as his career was heating up in Hollywood, making the transition from his TV role on the hit series ER to film with roles in Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn and the rom-com One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer. Unfortunately, Batman and Robin was not the slam dunk that Clooney (and WB) had hoped for, which ironically put the franchise on ice for eight years before it was reinvented by Christopher Nolan with Batman Begins, which starred Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. Since then, there have been two more actors to don the cowl on the big screen: Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson.
In a funny new video, posted by THR's Chris Gardner, Clooney is seen giving a lecture at an open house event at Roybal Film & TV Magnet, where he addresses the crowd and tosses out the Batman reference. "When you think of me, you think, "He's just the best Batman of all time,'" said Clooney in jest to the crowd, which elicited laughter and commentary. In attendance was actor Don Cheadle, who hit back with "best available," which had Clooney continuing to joke about his status as the best Dark Knight. When Affleck is mentioned, Clooney says, "Ben Affleck? Really? No, he's got nothing on me." Watch the full exchange below:
Clooney has said in the past that Batman and Robin is "a pretty horrendous film" and cited the dialogue being looped as one of the biggest reasons. Clooney said the looping "sucked the life out of the film." While it wasn't a complete flop, Batman and Robin was the lowest-grossing of the franchise at that point and prompted all involved to walk away, with Clooney never returning to portray the character again. He found his footing otherwise as an actor, producer, and director, winning a Oscar in 2005 for his performance in Syriana, and again for his producing work on 2012's Argo. He'll next appear in the rom-com Ticket to Paradise with Julia Roberts.
Many have begun to appreciate Batman and Robin for its flaws, making it a future contender for cult-classic status. The late Schumacher famously apologized for the film, but he needn't have done so, as he was simply following up with the formula that worked so well in Batman Forever. The cheesy, goofy aspects of the film make it a perfect modern-day adaptation of the '60s TV show, which was always a tongue-in-cheek take on Batman during its short run. As far as who the best Batman is, Keaton continues to repeat his "I'm Batman" mantra, while Affleck can't seem to stay out of the cowl despite publicly stating that he's done with the role multiple times. Pattinson iwill appear again in a sequel to The Batman, but Clooney's version is surely gone for good, which is a relief to everyone, including the star himself.