James Gunn Clarifies Clayface Movie's Place in DCU, Not Reeves' Batman Saga

DCU co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran have provided exciting details about the upcoming Clayface movie, confirming its place within the DCU canon and its R rating. This film will delve into the chilling origins of one of Batman's most iconic and versatile villains, Clayface, who has the unique ability to transform his clay-like body into any form or person.

Originally introduced as Basil Karlo in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940, Clayface has been a staple in the Batman universe. The decision to bring Clayface to the big screen was influenced by the success of HBO's The Penguin series. The film is slated for release on September 11, 2026, and will be penned by horror maestro Mike Flanagan. Lynn Harris and The Batman director Matt Reeves are set to produce this thrilling project.

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 stated firmly. 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."

"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," Gunn explained. He further noted that Clayface wouldn't fit well within the more grounded narrative of Reeves' 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 shared.

As soon as the director deal is finalized, casting will commence, with the film scheduled for a fall 2026 release. Safran highlighted the unique nature of Clayface, describing it as "experimental" and not a "traditional superhero tentpole movie," 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 the film's R rating, expressing enthusiasm about the project. "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," Gunn concluded.