Clayface Was Originally The Batman: Part II Villain, But Shifted to the DCU for a Better Fit

DC’s Clayface is all set for production. According to insider Daniel Richtman, who revealed the news in a Patreon post, filming will reportedly begin in June 2025. James Watkins (Speak No Evil) will direct Clayface for DC Studios, with a script penned by Mike Flanagan.

A report from Batman on Film website revealed that the Clayface character was originally planned as a villain in The Batman: Part II. The idea then shifted into a Reeves-verse spin-off before turning into the DCU project Clayface. Matt Reeves is producing, as he originally came up with the idea.

Clayface Was Too Supernatural for The Batman—Now He’s in the DCU

During the DC Studios presentation, DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran explained why Clayface was included in the DCU instead of Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga.

“Clayface is totally DCU,” Gunn confirmed.

Safran further clarified: “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.”

He added, “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.”

Gunn said that Clayface wouldn’t have been a good fit for the more realistic The Batman Epic Crime Saga.

“It didn’t match the grounded, non-superpowered characters in Matt’s world,” Gunn explained.

In DC Comics, “Clayface was first introduced in 1940 and known for his ability to shape-shift.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Clayface movie will have a budget of $40 million and will follow a horror story about a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to stay relevant, only to discover that he can reshape his face and form, becoming a walking piece of clay.

The film will be produced by Reeves, along with Lynn Harris and Gunn and Safran.

The Clayface movie will hit theaters on September 11, 2026.