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ER Director Says 1995 ‘Hell and High Water’ Made Warner Bros. Tap George Clooney for Batman

Chulack says Warner Bros. TV bosses told Clooney he would don the cowl after an episode that drew 45 million viewers.

Overview

  • Christopher Chulack detailed the casting origin in a new TV Insider interview, which outlets reported this week.
  • Chulack recalls Warner Bros. Television presidents Bob Daly and Terry Semel visiting Clooney’s dressing room to tell him, “You’re going to be the next Batman.”
  • The ER hour, titled “Hell and High Water,” aired Nov. 9, 1995, and featured Clooney’s character in a high‑profile rescue sequence.
  • The episode became one of ER’s most acclaimed, drawing roughly 45 million viewers and earning multiple Emmy nominations plus a Directors Guild award for Chulack.
  • Clooney went on to star in 1997’s Batman & Robin, a film widely panned by critics, and he has since joked about the role while briefly resurfacing as Bruce Wayne in 2023’s The Flash.