George Clooney Gave Advice To Ben Affleck On Playing Batman: “Don't Do It”

George Clooney gave Ben Affleck some advice on playing Batman: "Don't do it."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Clooney--who played Batman in Joel Schumacher's 1997 box office bomb Batman & Robin--recalled the advice he gave to Affleck. "I actually did talk to him about it. I said, 'Don't do it.'"

Clooney said the advice he gave to Affleck--who played Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League--was based only on his own experience, which wasn't great. "I wasn't good in [Batman & Robin], and it wasn't a good film," Clooney recalled.

"But what I learned from that failure was, I had to rethink how I was working," he added. "Because now I wasn't just an actor getting a role, I was being held responsible for the film itself."

Affleck did take the part of Batman in Dawn of Justice, against Clooney's advice, and Clooney remarked that Affleck "did great" in the movie.

Affleck--who won Oscars for Good Will Hunting and Argo--was initially attached to write, direct, and star in a new Batman movie called The Batman. However, he eventually dropped out. Explaining his decision to leave, Affleck told Jimmy Kimmel that he "couldn't crack it."

There is no word yet on who will be the next actor to play Batman after Affleck. Other actors who have played Batman over the years include Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, and Val Kilmer.