James Gunn on Why Clayface Movie Belongs to DCU, Not Reeves' Batman Saga

DCU co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran have recently shed light on the upcoming Clayface movie, confirming its place within the DCU canon and its R rating.

Clayface, a character with a rich history in Gotham City, possesses the unique ability to transform his clay-like body into any form or person. This power has made him one of Batman's most enduring adversaries. The character, first introduced as Basil Karlo in Detective Comics #40 in 1940, is set to take center stage in this new film.

DC Studios announced last month that Clayface will hit theaters on September 11, 2026. The decision to develop this project was influenced by the success of HBO's The Penguin series. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is penning the screenplay, while Lynn Harris and The Batman director Matt Reeves are set to produce.

Confirmed DCU Projects

11 ImagesDuring a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn and Safran emphasized the importance of integrating Clayface into the DCU, distinguishing it from Matt Reeves' The Batman Epic Crime Saga.

“Clayface is totally DCU,” Gunn affirmed. Safran added, “The only thing that's in Matt's world, his Crime Saga that he's telling, is the Batman Trilogy, the Penguin series, that's in that lane. So still under DC Studios, still under us. We have an incredible relationship with Matt, but those are the only things."

Gunn further explained the decision to include Clayface in the DCU, stating, “It was important that Clayface be part of the DCU. It's an origin story for a classic Batman villain that we want to have in our world.”

He also noted that Clayface wouldn't fit well within the more grounded narrative of The Batman Epic Crime Saga, saying, “It was very outside of the grounded non-super metahuman characters in Matt's world.”

Safran revealed that DC Studios is currently negotiating with Speak No Evil director James Watkins to helm Clayface, with filming set to begin this summer.

“This summer, cameras are going to roll on Clayface, an incredible body horror film that reveals a compelling origin of a classic Batman villain, and this is another title that we added to the slate on the strength of an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan,” Safran stated.

He added, “I think some of you are probably aware that we're in negotiations with James Watkins now to direct, and we'll start casting this as soon as we have the director deal done and we'll shoot this summer. It's slated for a fall 2026 release. Clayface might not be as widely known as The Penguin or The Joker, but we really feel that his story is equally resonant, compelling, and in many ways, more terrifying than one of those.”

Throughout the presentation, Safran described Clayface as “experimental,” not fitting the mold of a traditional superhero blockbuster, but rather an “indie style chiller.” Gunn echoed this sentiment, calling it “pure f***ing horror, like, totally real. Their version of that movie, it is so real and true and psychological and body horror and gross.”

Gunn confirmed that Clayface will be rated R, stating, “I think that one of the things Peter and I talked about when we first got the script is if we were producing movies five years ago when we were doing Belko Experiment and all of that stuff, and somebody had brought us this horror script called Clayface about this guy, we would have died to have produced this movie, because it was just a really excellent body horror script, and the fact that it's in the DCU is just a plus.”