Studio Warner kept the secret until last, but with The Flash hitting theaters worldwide, the bat is finally out of the bag: George Clooney takes place in “The Flash” 26 years after”Batman and RobinAgain Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Of course, in the interview we asked director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Mussetti about this surprise comeback – and they to have reveal to us that they didn’t have to convince Clooney for longthough in recent years he’s rarely missed a chance to enjoy himself with the much-maligned “Batman & Robin” and his performance in the movie.
“George Clooney was very intrigued by the idea from the start. Because he saw the movie and loved it very much,” Andy Muschietti told us in the conversation. Similar to Dwayne Johnson’s recent appearance in “Fast & Furious 10,” the ending was only shot after the rest of the film surrounding it was nearly finished. If Clooney hadn’t agreed, another ex-Batman might have stepped in or an alternate ending might have been involved.
Furthermore, the Muschiettis told us that they are both big fans of George Clooney and were therefore sure that with his performance they had found the perfect ending for “The Flash”. “And I also think he’s a much, much cooler Batman these days than he was when ‘Batman & Robin’ came out,” added Andy Muschietti with a wink.
George Clooney as Batman: The Ending explained
But why does George Clooney appear as Batman at the end of The Flash? Wasn’t the movie about Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) realizing it’s too dangerous to manipulate the past to save his parents?
That is of course true, but even if Barry finally knows that he cannot bring his mother Nora (Maribel Verdú) back to life, he still decides to at least get his father Henry (Ron Livingston) out of prison: he will make sure that you can see his face on the supermarket security camera. It is thus proven that Henry was not at home at the time of Nora’s death and could not have been her killer.
Any change in the past has consequences. And even this small change in the shaky construction of the multiverse (think of the spaghetti parable) causes at least one change: George Clooney plays Batman instead of Ben Affleck.
George Clooney: Also in the new “Batman” movie?
However, that doesn’t automatically mean that Clooney is now the new Batman in the DC Universe (DCU). and also plays that role in the previously announced Batman: The Brave And The Bold. At the same time, that doesn’t seem entirely impossibleafter all, it has just been announced that Andy Muschietti will now direct “The Brave And The Bold” after “The Flash”.
And why not bring Clooney as Batman, especially since we’re probably going to see an older Batman here? After all, this Batman has a teenage son, Damian Wayne, aka Robin, and may have had other Robins before (judging by the comics here).
The Flash credits scene explained
However, aside from the Clooney thing, this new reality is pretty much like the familiar DCEU reality – right down to Jason Momoa’s appearance in the credits scene.
There really isn’t much more to say about that. Aquaman is drunk to death as Barry tries to explain the whole multiverse to him, regretting that his lightning fast metabolism means he can’t get drunk. I think the post-credits scene is just there to show that other metahumans exist in the new reality at the end of The Flash.
During the interim detour to the world where Michael Keaton is Batman, it turned out that there is no Justice League, no Superman, Cyborg, Aquaman and no Wonder Woman.