James Gunn and Peter Safran, the minds behind the potential renaissance at DC Studios, have officially confirmed that Clayface will be a core part of the DC Universe (DCU) and the movie will feature an R rating.
Clayface: A Classic Batman Villain Gets His Origin Story
A formidable foe in Gotham’s criminal underworld, Clayface has the terrifying ability to reshape his body into anyone or anything. The character’s earliest appearance, as Basil Karlo, made his debut in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940s, securing his place as one of Batman’s longest-standing foes.
The Clayface movie is officially slated for a September 11, 2026, release according to Gunn and Safran. DC Studios is diving deeper into the horror-thriller space than ever before. It seems that James Gunn seeks to dip further into the supernatural aspects of the DC Universe that has never been really explored on the big screen. The decision to greenlight the project reportedly stemmed from the success of HBO’s The Penguin series, further proving that Gotham’s villains can carry their own compelling narratives. Horror director Mike Flanagan is penning the screenplay, with producer Lynn Harris and The Batman director Matt Reeves backing the project.
Why Clayface Belongs in the DCU, Not The Batman Universe
During a recent DC Studios event attended by IGN, Gunn and Safran explained why Clayface is being developed under the main DCU banner rather than Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga.
“Clayface is totally DCU,” Gunn confirmed. Safran elaborated, stating that Reeves’ universe is limited to The Batman trilogy and The Penguin series. While Reeves remains a vital creative force within DC Studios, Clayface needed to exist outside that world.
“It was important that Clayface be part of the DCU,” Safran explained. “It’s an origin story for a classic Batman villain that we want to have in our world.”
Gunn added that the film’s supernatural elements would have clashed with Reeves’ more grounded take on Gotham.
“It was very outside of the grounded, non-super metahuman characters in Matt’s world,” Gunn noted.
A Horror-Focused Direction for Clayface
Safran confirmed that DC Studios is deep in negotiations with Speak No Evil director James Watkins to helm Clayface, describing the project as “an incredible body horror film.” If all goes as planned, production will begin this summer.
“This summer, cameras are going to roll on Clayface,” Safran revealed. “It’s another title we added to the slate based on an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan. Clayface might not be as widely known as The Penguin or The Joker, but we truly believe his story is equally resonant, compelling, and in many ways, more terrifying.”
Throughout the discussion, Safran emphasized that Clayface is not a traditional superhero blockbuster but an “experimental” indie-style horror thriller. Gunn went even further, calling it “pure f***ing horror—real, psychological, and gross.”
A Bold R-Rated Entry into the DCU
Gunn and Safran’s enthusiasm for Clayface stems from their shared love of horror filmmaking. Gunn compared the film to projects they would have eagerly produced in their earlier days, back when they were involved in films like The Belko Experiment.
“If someone had brought us this horror script called Clayface about this guy, we would have died to produce it,” Gunn said. “The fact that it’s in the DCU is just a plus.”
With an R rating, a visionary horror director in talks, and a fresh take on a legendary Batman villain, Clayface is shaping up to be one of the most unique and terrifying DCU films to date. Fans of dark, psychological horror should keep their eyes on this one—it’s set to bring a whole new level of fear to Gotham.