James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chiefs of DCU, have officially confirmed that the upcoming movie, *Clayface*, will be part of the DCU canon and carry an R rating. This exciting addition to the DC Universe focuses on one of Batman's most iconic villains, Clayface, who first debuted as Basil Karlo in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940. Known for his ability to morph his clay-like body into any shape or person, Clayface has been a staple in Gotham's criminal underworld.
Last month, DC Studios announced that *Clayface* will hit theaters on September 11, 2026. The decision to bring this character to the big screen was influenced by the success of HBO's *The Penguin* series. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is set to pen the screenplay, while Lynn Harris and *The Batman* director Matt Reeves will produce the film.
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During a recent DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn and Safran elaborated on why *Clayface* is a fitting addition to the DCU rather than part of Matt Reeves' *The Batman Epic Crime Saga*. "Clayface is totally DCU," Gunn stated firmly. 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 emphasized the importance of including Clayface in the DCU, describing it as "an origin story for a classic Batman villain that we want to have in our world." He also noted that Clayface wouldn't fit within the more grounded and non-super metahuman setting of Reeves' *The Batman Epic Crime Saga*.
DC Studios is currently negotiating with James Watkins, known for *Speak No Evil*, to direct *Clayface*. Filming is slated to begin 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," Safran announced. He also praised the screenplay by Mike Flanagan, which was a key factor in adding the project to the DCU slate.
Safran described *Clayface* as "experimental" and an "indie style chiller," while Gunn labeled 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 also confirmed the film's R rating, highlighting its intense and mature content. He reminisced about the potential of producing such a horror script five years ago, stating, "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."
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