BURBANK, CA–Fans have initially been skeptical of James Gunn’s rebooted DC film Universe (the DCU). But he seems to have won them over by an announcement this past week that George Clooney would reprise his role as Batman in the DCU.

Clooney first played the caped crusader in the critically acclaimed film Batman & Robin (1997) and became an instant fan-favorite in the role. Then, when The Flash (2023) changed the timeline and rebooted the previous DC Extended Universe, Clooney reappeared as Bruce Wayne in the newly altered timeline. Gunn, head of DC Studios, confirmed in a recent press conference that Clooney would be the DCU’s Batman going forward.

“I’m really excited to play Batman again,” Clooney told Marvelous Movies in an interview. “And I want to thank the fan community for helping to make this happen. I know they’ve been waiting on this for a long time.” The 63-year-old actor also teased fans by tweeting a picture of himself squeezing into his famous Batsuit, Bat-nipples and all, for the first time in nearly three decades.

Clooney will star in a new Batman film, directed by Gunn, which is slated for a 2027 release. The film has replaced The Batman Part II on DC’s release calendar, as Matt Reeves has announced the script will be delayed yet again. Chris O’Donnell and Alicia Silverstone will also return as Robin and Batgirl, respectively, alongside Clooney.

This news comes on the heels of another recent announcement that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be reprising his iconic role as the villainous Mr. Freeze, also from Batman & Robin. “I really hope we get to face off again one of these times,” Clooney said. “That would be pretty cool.”

“Clooney has really been an underutilized actor, and we want to tap into all of his potential,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, about the casting decision. “In fact, we want to do more projects with him too.” At publishing time, Warner Bros. had announced it would be featuring Clooney alongside Bugs Bunny in a new cartoon series called Clooney Tunes.

Batman & Robin Return Forever hits theaters in 2027.