James Gunn denies rumor that George Clooney will return as Batman: 'Absolutely not'

James Gunn is putting the rumors that George Clooney will reprise his role as Batman to rest.

The Guardians of the Galaxy director, 56, headed to social media on Saturday to shut down the onslaught of questions regarding whether Clooney, 61, would reprise his role from the 1997 film Batman and Robin, in which he portrayed 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 wanting to know if Clooney would return to the screen in the role.

"Is it true you're casting George Clooney as the new main DCU Batman?" one follower asked.

In response, Gunn wrote, "Absolutely not."

In a follow-up question, another fan asked if the role would be taken by someone who has portrayed Batman before. Everyone from Christian Bale and Ben Affleck to Val Kilmer and Michael Keaton has tackled the role of Bruce Wayne. The most recent to do it, Robert Pattison, is slated to reprise the role in 2025's The Batman, Part II.

"Does this mean we're still getting an actor who has already Batman or [we are] getting a new actor all together?" the fan asked.

Gunn replied with just two words: "New Actor."

Many believe rumors of Clooney's return rose from a tweet in which journalist Grace Randolph wrote, "I hear that it’s going to be a former #Batman who cameos at the end of #TheFlash & could potentially stick around as the new permanent #DCU Batman." Despite originally saying she knew who it would be, Randolph later said she was "excited to see who Gunn casts as his #Batman."

Just over a week ago, Gunn released a video on his Instagram page in which he spoke candidly about the evolution of DC Studios, and his plans for it since taking over as co-CEO with Safran at the end of 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 in film, television, gaming and animation. That the characters are consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within one story," said Gunn. "And if something is outside of that, like Matt Reeves's Batman, or Todd Phillips Joker, or Teen Titans Go!, it is clearly labeled as DC Elseworld — outside of the mainstream of DCU continuity."

Gunn went on to say that he and his colleagues have mapped out an eight-to-10-year plan for DC Studios, with the first chapter called "Gods and Monsters." He went on to discuss several projects that are in the works, which Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in the HBO Max show Waller, and Lanterns, an HBO Max series about the Green Lantern Corps.

"I've loved the DC characters since I was a child. They're incredibly important to me. I knew this was a once-in-a-lifestyle opportunity to do something very different," he concluded. "Storytelling is always king. That is 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 recognized the studio would be facing an uphill battle as they attempt to bring DC back to dominance at the box office.

"The stakes are enormous," said Gunn, Deadline reported. "It was a brand in chaos and it’s an opportunity to build an extraordinary standalone studio with the best IP and the best stories in the world."