James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-chiefs of DCU, have recently shed light on the highly anticipated Clayface movie, confirming its status within the DCU canon and its R rating. Clayface, known for his shape-shifting abilities derived from his clay-like body, is a longstanding adversary of Batman. The character, first introduced as Basil Karlo in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940, has a rich history within the DC Universe.

DC Studios announced last month that the Clayface film is slated for release on September 11, 2026. The project was greenlit following the success of HBO's The Penguin series. Esteemed horror writer Mike Flanagan is penning the script, with Lynn Harris and The Batman director Matt Reeves set to produce.

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During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn and Safran emphasized the importance of integrating Clayface into the DCU, distinguishing it from 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 further explained that Clayface's inclusion in the DCU was crucial because it offers an origin story for a classic Batman villain that they want to feature in their universe. He noted 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 revealed that DC Studios is currently negotiating with James Watkins, the director of Speak No Evil, to helm Clayface, with filming set 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, and this is another title that we added to the slate on the strength of an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan," Safran elaborated.

He also mentioned that casting will commence once the director deal is finalized, and the film is scheduled for a fall 2026 release. Safran highlighted that while Clayface may not be as well-known as The Penguin or The Joker, the character's story is equally compelling and potentially more terrifying.

Throughout the presentation, Safran described Clayface as "experimental," not fitting the mold of a traditional superhero tentpole movie, but rather an "indie style chiller." Gunn echoed this sentiment, 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 that Clayface will be rated R, emphasizing the film's intense horror elements. He reminisced about the script's appeal, 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."