DCU co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran have confirmed the upcoming Clayface film will be part of the DCU canon and receive an R rating. The announcement follows discussions regarding the film's place within the broader DC universe.
Clayface, a long-standing Batman adversary with shape-shifting abilities, boasts a rich history in DC Comics, with his first appearance as Basil Karlo in Detective Comics #40 (1940). The film, slated for release on September 11, 2026, was greenlit after the success of HBO's The Penguin series. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan penned the script, and Lynn Harris produces alongside Matt Reeves, director of The Batman.
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Gunn and Safran, speaking at a DC Studios presentation, clarified Clayface's inclusion in the main DCU, distinguishing it from Matt Reeves' The Batman Epic Crime Saga. Safran stated that Reeves' saga encompasses only the Batman trilogy and The Penguin series, remaining under the DC Studios umbrella despite its separate continuity.
The decision to place Clayface within the core DCU stemmed from a desire to feature a classic Batman villain's origin story within their established universe. Gunn emphasized that Clayface's more supernatural elements wouldn't align with the grounded realism of Reeves' films.
DC Studios is reportedly finalizing negotiations with James Watkins (Speak No Evil) to direct. Filming is scheduled to begin this summer. Safran described the project as an "experimental" body horror film, an "indie style chiller," while Gunn characterized it as "pure f***ing horror," emphasizing its realistic, psychological, and visceral nature. The R rating was confirmed. Gunn further stated that if presented with the script five years prior, they would have eagerly produced it regardless of its DCU connection, highlighting the script's inherent quality.
