The Batman movie franchise has enjoyed many highs over the decades, but it’s also endured a few lows too. And its widely agreed that the bottom of the bat-barrel is 1997’s Batman & Robin. Traditionally, pretty much everything about the production is viscerally hated by fans, but the batsuit worn by George Clooney’s Not-So-Dark Knight, in particular, has been the butt of jokes for 25 years now.
And yet this eye-popping fan art makes the case that Clooney’s batsuit wasn’t actually that far away from being half-decent and just needed a few tweaks to make it work. Filmmaker Ryan Unicomb shared an edit of Clooney’s version of Bruce Wayne on Twitter recently, with the image swapping out Batman & Robin‘s rubbery silver sheen for a more satisfying matte black.
The bat-symbol is also switched to the classic yellow one and Clooney’s given the comics-accurate white lenses as an extra bonus. All in all, it looks like a perfect blend of Joel Schumacher’s costuming style and the timeless design of the beloved Tim Burton batsuit, as worn by Michael Keaton.
Unicomb’s fan art has gone viral, with Batman fans agreeing that they would’ve loved to have seen this costume in the movie. Though some are still loyal to the traditional gray ‘n’ black color scheme.
The tweet also generated some renewed appreciation for the Schumacher movies — the Lost Boys director also helmed 1995’s Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer.
Hey, Michael Keaton’s coming back in The Flash. Andrew Garfield just appeared in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. How about Warner Bros. give Clooney another shot at donning the cape and cowl as well?
George Clooney’s always been a good sport about all the Batman & Robin backlash, but he’s often dismissed the idea of revisiting the franchise. So sadly the idea of him going back to Gotham is likely a pipe dream. Still, Keaton’s Batman Returns Batman returns in The Flash movie, coming this Nov. 4.