James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-heads of DC Studios, have confirmed the upcoming Clayface movie will be canon within the DC Universe (DCU) and carry an R rating. Clayface, a long-time Batman adversary with the ability to shapeshift his clay-like body, first appeared in Detective Comics #40 (1940) as Basil Karlo. DC Studios announced a September 11, 2026, release date last month. The project reportedly stems from the success of HBO's The Penguin series. Horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan penned the script, with Lynn Harris producing alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves.
Confirmed DCU Projects
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During a DC Studios presentation to IGN, Gunn and Safran explained Clayface's inclusion in the DCU, differentiating it from Matt Reeves' The Batman Epic Crime Saga. Gunn confirmed, “Clayface is totally DCU.” Safran clarified, “The only thing that's in Matt's world…is the Batman Trilogy, the Penguin series…still under DC Studios, 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 added that Clayface wouldn't fit Reeves' grounded style: “It was very outside of the grounded non-super metahuman characters in Matt's world.”
DC Studios is reportedly finalizing negotiations with James Watkins (Speak No Evil) to direct. Production is slated to begin this summer. Safran stated, “This summer, cameras are going to roll on Clayface, an incredible body horror film…another title…added…on the strength of an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan.” He added that while Clayface may be less known than The Penguin or The Joker, “we really feel that his story is equally resonant, compelling, and in many ways, more terrifying.” Safran described the film as “experimental,” an “indie style chiller,” not a traditional superhero film. Gunn described it as “pure f***ing horror…totally real…psychological and body horror and gross.”
Gunn confirmed the R rating, stating, “If we were producing movies five years ago…and somebody had brought us this horror script called Clayface…we would have died to have produced this movie…it was just a really excellent body horror script, and the fact that it's in the DCU is just a plus.”
