The other day,news leakedthat James Gunn’sDCStudios would move forward with aClayfacemovie written by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep).
Now,Gunnhimself has confirmed the film, Flanagan’s involvement, and the release date: July 09, 2025.
Exciting news out of@DCOfficialStudios today as#Clayface, a DCU story from a script by Mike Flanagan, has been OFFICIALLY greenlit.
Clayface premieres in 2026.
A New Take On Clayface
Deadlinehas reported further details. First, thatThe Batman’s Matt Reeves will produce (just like her did HBO’sThe Penguin). Joining him is Lynn Harris (King Richard). They went on to say that “Flanagan is reportedly conceivingClayfaceas a horror-thriller-tragedy. He won’t be painted as a villain which has been his reputation…The character is rumored to be part ofBatman 2.”
The idea of Clayface not being a villain is interesting. There have been two primary incarnations of the character. Initially, he was a failed actor turned killer, wearing a costume from a horror movie he once starred in. Somewhere along the line, the character became a mud monster who can shapeshift into you, me, or Batman himself—a byproduct of science gone wrong.
Clayface And The Batman Universe
So far, we’ve had two stories in Reeve’s universe:The Batmanfilm andPenguinHBO series. Both have remained grounded. And are, for now, completely separate from the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe.
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While the Penguin character was a bad guy inThe Batman, he wasn’t necessarily a villain. Certainly not someone who could legitimately threaten thecaped crusader. Appropriately, Penguin’s TV show started with him as almost an antihero of sorts, someone you could see yourself rooting for, despite his flaws. Until he finally, inexorably crosses the line. By the end, he graduates to full villain status.
You could imagine a similarly patient journey unfolding with Clayface. He starts off innocently enough, but events befitting a horror-thriller-tragedy befall him. Like Oz Cobb (or Nolan’s Harvey Dent), we see who he could have been before he transforms into the worst version of himself.
The Future Of The DCU Under James Gunn
As expectations for Marvel movies have waned, DC Studios is positioned, for the first time in a long time, to gain some momentum. James Gunn’s tenure as head honcho came with some baggage in the form ofBlue BeetleandThe Flash. Now that he’s past the projects of his predecessors, a whole new era is about to begin.
So far there are 9 confirmed films, three with release dates.
Gunn’s DCU also has seven TV series, one live and another with a release date.
