DC Universe head James Gunn didn’t intend to make a Clayface movie, but Mike Flanagan’s pitch and script convinced him to

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the DC Comics character Clayface, who is usually presented as a villain in the pages of Batman comic books. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And last month, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. During an interview with i09, Gunn admitted that he had no intention of making a Clayface movie as part of the DCU… but the project earned a greenlight because Flanagan’s script is so good.

The first chapter of DCU films is being referred to as “Gods and Monsters” and is expected to consist of the animated series Creature Commandos (which premiered last month), season 2 of Peacemaker (coming in August), the Gunn-directed Superman film (coming in July), Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (coming to theatres in June of 2026), Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold, James Mangold’s Swamp Thing, the animated project Dynamic Duo, and a film based on the team called The Authority. There are other projects in development as well. Clayface made its way into the line-up and is set to receive a theatrical release on September 11, 2026.

Gunn told io9, “I didn’t plan on making a Clayface movie. Mike came in. He pitched this wonderful idea. I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe you got me to want to make a Clayface movie.’ But he’s got to write the script and who knows how that’s going to work. He goes and he writes the script. First draft is great. Second draft is even better. And then I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we found a place for it because if there’s quality stuff, we can find a way to work it in.“

As for other projects, Gunn said, “There are lots of things that are getting reported that I haven’t green-lit and I haven’t said okay to. Some of those are true in terms of they’re in development, and some of them are not true. [And just] because they’re in development, that doesn’t mean I’m going to make that movie. There’s a lot of things people seem to be counting on that it may be unwise to count on.“

What do you think of the fact that we’re getting a Clayface movie as part of the DCU? Let us know by leaving a comment below.