DC Studios Clayface (TBA)

[kylor]

‘Clayface’ Movie Officially Underway at DC Studios With Mike Flanagan Writing

Fresh off the success of the HBO series “The Penguin,” DC Studios has officially greenlit a feature film centered around Clayface, the shapeshifting Batman villain, from a script written by “Doctor Sleep” filmmaker Mike Flanagan, according to a source with direct knowledge of the production. Plot details are scarce, but filming is expected to begin early next year.

Flanagan, who first pitched DC Studios on a Clayface project in 2023, tweeted in 2021 that he was “really keen to do a standalone Clayface movie as a horror/thriller/tragedy.” But he is already committed to write and direct a new take on “The Exorcist” for Universal, through Blumhouse and Morgan Creek, and he’s also developing a series adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Carrie” for Amazon MGM Studios. So DC has been on the hunt for a director to take the reins, and an announcement is imminent.

A representative for DC Studios had no comment.

Clayface, one of the earliest Batman antagonists, has passed through several iterations since he was introduced in 1940, as a washed-up actor who turns to crime wearing the claylike mask of a character he once played. The character’s shapeshifting abilities were first introduced in 1961, and he’s been portrayed in many live-action and animated “Batman” adaptations, including by Ron Perlman on “Batman: The Animated Series” in the 1990s, by Brian McManamon on the 2010s Fox series “Gotham,” and most recently by Alan Tudyk on the Max animated comedy “Harley Quinn.”

The decision to greenlight the project is the strongest signal yet that DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran intend the studio to incorporate a wide assortment of storytelling tones. “One of the main things I want to establish is that you can do anything at DC Studios,” Gunn recently told Variety while discussing his animated series “Creature Commandos,” the first official title in the new DC Universe. “We can make complete family fare. We can make something that’s for general audiences, like ‘Superman.’ We can make something that’s violent and sexual, like this. … It’s about creating a world in which we can tell the story about, you know, one type of character in different genres.”

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/c...an-1236246625/

[RalphoR]

Looks like a lot of potential here. Each iteration of the character has been very interesting but I definitely highly lean towards Clayface III written by the awesome Steve Englehart and drawn by the equally awesome Marshall Rogers (RIP).

[DCW]

The BTAS Clayface episodes are some of my favorites, looking forward to seeing how this develops.

[Mikezilla3k]

Sold on Mike Flannagan but please let it be Matt Hagen set in the DCU and not Basil Karlo in the Reevesverse.

We need more extravagant Batman rogues in live action instead of the same old "gritty realistic" stuff.

[Zivouhr]

A tragedy horror type movie of Clayface sounds interesting, though it won't have any connection to Batman it sounds like.

I wonder if DC Gunn have already selected a new Batman role to cameo in Superman 2025?

[John1701D]

Gunn is exactly what DC needed. This is great news. Maybe we'll finally get into all the cool DC characters like Deadman, Captain Atom, or Adam Strange that have never been given a chance.

[RalphoR]

Originally Posted by John1701D

Gunn is exactly what DC needed. This is great news. Maybe we'll finally get into all the cool DC characters like Deadman, Captain Atom, or Adam Strange that have never been given a chance.

I've been screaming for a Deadman movie for ages. Maybe they can do one with the Spectre involved. Deadman could also cross over with Batman. Some of my favorite The Brave and the Bold issues had Batman and Deadman team up.

[SteelbookCat]

Lets get Chris Pratt as Clayface.

[FlamedLiquid]

I hope this doesn't go down the same path of Sony...pumping out a lot of Batman villian movies/shows.

Though the first Joker movie and Penguin were great.

And I've been wanting to see Clayface get the live action treatment. I was hoping it'd be in a Batman film though not a solo project.

[jimcorenson]

Originally Posted by FlamedLiquid

I hope this doesn't go down the same path of Sony...pumping out a lot of Batman villian movies/shows.

Though the first Joker movie and Penguin were great.

And I've been wanting to see Clayface get the live action treatment. I was hoping it'd be in a Batman film though not a solo project.

Rumor is that Clayface will appear in Reeves The Batman 2. His sister was already introduced in The Penguin show so it makes sense.

[NARMAK]

I haven't seen The Penguin but heard it was pretty great but my problem with these sorta movies is that primarily Batman is the main focus and these villains and so on are usually all there to progress a specific story. Clayface in BTAS as mentioned was really great, hut without Batman and the rest of the individuals being involved, it feels like another Joker situation where its basically an original story using DC iconography. I'm hoping it's well done, but i don't know if i like the idea if it then prevents use of the characters or creates a hesitation due to overlap when Batman might be able to use the character.

[pikeman1]

with Mike Flanagan's involvement, I'll definitely watch it, but seriously, what the hell!?

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

Sold on Mike Flannagan

This.

[Kylo Ren]

Originally Posted by jimcorenson

Rumor is that Clayface will appear in Reeves The Batman 2. His sister was already introduced in The Penguin show so it makes sense.

Looks like it's more than just rumors now. This is from Deadline's article about the news:

Although Flanagan wasn’t pitching the character to be part of Matt Reeves’ DC elseworld, other sources have said that Clayface is a big addition to Reeves’ The Batman 2.

With Reeves producing this film and Clayface being in the next Batman movie, I'm pretty sure this will be the character of Basil Karlo and maybe be set in the Reevesverse as well.

https://deadline.com/2024/12/clayfac...ng-1236201445/

[joshsquash729]

I'll watch pretty much anything Mike Flanagan does at this point- I've loved all his shows, but Midnight Mass and Fall of the House of Usher were fantastic. But even with bias aside, I think that his style could work really well for a body horror film (I think he could also nail the psychological horror of a Scarecrow film too), and goodness knows an actor like Clayface would love a good monologue like Flanagan is wont to do. I hope he's able to lean a bit more into the fantastical with it- maybe start out with some light, grounded body horror, but have him slowly transform into a big muddy monster by the end of it. Stick with the Penguin formula as well and allow him to be a villain, even if a tragic one.

[Bubbles-11]

Releasing in theaters September 11th, 2026

[joshsquash729]

Originally Posted by Bubbles-11

Releasing in theaters September 11th, 2026

Crazy how, barring any delays, this'll be coming out before The Batman Part 2, despite (as far as we know) being created after. Same cinematic universe or not, I wonder if DC will be okay with releasing 2 Batman universe films within 3 weeks of each other.

[Dalekbuster523Bluray]

Clayface is an interesting character. Not sure how he works without Batman though.

[Bubbles-11]

Feet of Clayface: A spinoff centered on the Batman villain has been in the works with Mike Flanagan for about two years, but now it has a greenlight to shoot next year and been given a Sept. 11, 2026 release date. (That's weeks before the purported The Batman Part II release date. We'll see if that sticks.) There's no director yet, though. The idea is to make a horror movie in the $40 million range, in another effort to show the diversity of the DC Studios slate. Fun fact: Flanagan loves, loves, loves the Clayface episodes from the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

https://view.email.hollywoodreporter...ec920a9c022c67

[Mikezilla3k]

Originally Posted by Bubbles-11

https://view.email.hollywoodreporter...ec920a9c022c67

Yeah, we getting my man Matt Hagan.

Suck it Karlo.