George Clooney Owns Up to the One Movie Role He Wishes He Could Undo

George Clooney is out promoting a new movie, and surprise: the ghost of 'Batman & Robin' popped up again. Not exactly a plot twist, but he did add a new little story that says a lot.

Clooney on his one big mulligan

The Academy Award-winning actor was talking up his upcoming drama 'Jay Kelly' in a recent MovieWeb interview when he was asked what project he wishes he could rethink. He did not hesitate. If he could go back, he said he would have passed on 'Batman & Robin' outright.

'My son actually dressed as Batman for Halloween. He hasn't seen the movie. I said, "You know, I was Batman." He's like, "Not really." I was like, "You have no idea how right you are."

A few days later, at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Jay Kelly' on November 11, he expanded on it. In short: that film taught him more than any hit ever did. You learn from the faceplants, then you adjust.

The context, cleaned up

• 'Batman & Robin' came out in 1997, directed by Joel Schumacher, with Clooney as Batman alongside Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Alicia Silverstone.
• It sold tickets but critics torched it; the Rotten Tomatoes critics score sits at 11%.
• Clooney has said for years it's a career regret; this latest round just makes it extra clear he would have bailed if he could do it again.
• The fresh anecdote: his kid went as Batman for Halloween and basically rejected Dad's Bat-credentials. Brutal, but fair.

So what's 'Jay Kelly'?

The new Clooney drama also stars Adam Sandler. It had a limited theatrical run starting November 14, 2025, and hits Netflix on December 5 (yes, that is a very quick theatrical-to-streaming handoff). If the title is new to you, you're not alone — the rollout is pretty compact.

Bottom line: Clooney keeps owning the flop, mining it for lessons, and using it as a north star for what not to do. And when your own kid says you weren't really Batman? That's a notes session you can trust.