James Gunn on Why Clayface Movie Fits DCU, Not Reeves' Batman Saga

James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chiefs of DC Studios, have provided exciting updates on the upcoming *Clayface* movie, confirming its inclusion in the DCU canon and its R rating. *Clayface* will delve into the story of Basil Karlo, a former criminal from Gotham City with the unique ability to transform his clay-like body into anyone or anything. This character, one of Batman's oldest adversaries, first appeared in *Detective Comics #40* back in 1940.

DC Studios announced last month that *Clayface* is set to hit theaters on September 11, 2026. The decision to greenlight this project was influenced by the success of HBO’s *The Penguin* series. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has penned the screenplay, and Lynn Harris will produce the film alongside *The Batman* director Matt Reeves.

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During a recent DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn and Safran elaborated on why *Clayface* was chosen for the DCU instead of Matt Reeves’ *The Batman Epic Crime Saga*. Gunn stated, “Clayface is totally DCU. 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.” 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.”

Gunn further explained that *Clayface* wouldn’t fit well within the more grounded narrative of *The Batman Epic Crime Saga*, saying, “It was very outside of the grounded non-super metahuman characters in Matt's world.”

Safran also announced that DC Studios is in negotiations with James Watkins, known for *Speak No Evil*, to direct *Clayface*. The film is slated to begin shooting 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 said.

Safran described *Clayface* as “experimental” and an “indie style chiller,” while Gunn emphasized its horror elements, 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, highlighting its intense and mature content. He added, “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.”