Clayface will take the DC Universe further into the Batman mythology, as the horror film will explore one of Bruce Wayne’s biggest villains. While The Batman universe continues to stand as an Elseworlds property for DC Studios, the DCU will be tackling Gotham City in 2026, but not through the Caped Crusader.
At ScreenRant’s Midnight Mass panel with Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel during Motor City Comic Con 2025, the Clayface writer elaborated on the new world of Gotham City that he is building through Gunn’s DCU. Flanagan shared whether Reeves’ franchise served as any inspiration, saying, “No, when we first started talking about Clayface, I hadn’t seen what Matt [Reeves] was up to. So it went all the way back to “Feat of Clay”, that incredible two-parter with Ron Perlman voicing the character, which was so formative for me as a kid.”
The horror filmmaker added how much of a great time he had working with Reeves on it, before taking to Gunn and Peter Safran. He shared, “Clayface, I had so much fun developing that with Matt, and then with James and Peter. It was one of the great kind of sadnesses of my career that I’m so sorry that when it came time to make it, and they wanted to make this movie right away, I wasn’t available.”
With James Watkins directing, he added that this was “the only time this has ever happened to me where I was like, “I have to go make Carrie. There’s nothing I can do.” However, as “they wanted the movie to happen, so I had to kind of do the thing that I’ve never had to do before, it’s like, “Well, here you go. Have fun making the movie and tell me how it goes.”
As Tom Rhys Harries, who will play Matt Hagen, confirmed that filming wrapped on November 1, 2025, Flanagan said that he hasn’t seen it yet. He added, “I haven’t seen it. They just wrapped, I’m dying to see it. I can’t wait to see what they did with it. But for me, it all goes back to the animated series. Batman: The Animated Series is art.”
The Clayface movie is set to be the first R-rated theatrical film for DC Studios and in the DCU franchise, focusing on the famous Batman villain and how he becomes the iconic shapeshifter. This will also be the first time that the popular DC villain has ever been used on the big screen.
As Robert Pattinson’s Batman is not part of James Gunn’s universe, a new actor will eventually be cast in the main continuity. DC Studios is currently working on The Brave and the Bold, which is in the script-writing stages.
DC Studios has scheduled Clayface to open on September 11, 2026.
- Release Date
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September 11, 2026
- Director
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James Watkins