Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the DC Comics character Clayface, who is usually presented as a villain in the pages of Batman comic books. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A couple of months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm. Now, it has been revealed that filming is scheduled to begin on October 1st – even though the script is rumored to be undergoing a page 1 rewrite.
The first chapter of DCU films is being referred to as “Gods and Monsters” and is expected to consist of the animated series Creature Commandos (which already premiered), season 2 of Peacemaker (coming in August), the Gunn-directed Superman film (coming in July), Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (coming to theatres in June of 2026), a Lanterns TV series, Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold, James Mangold’s Swamp Thing, the animated project Dynamic Duo, and a film based on the team called The Authority. Some of those don’t appear to be moving ahead very quickly, and there are other projects in development as well. Luca Guadagnino’s Sgt. Rock was in the mix, but it’s delayed at best and we’ll have to wait and see if it happens at all. Clayface made its way into the line-up and is set to receive a theatrical release on September 11, 2026.
During an interview with i09, Gunn admitted that he had no intention of making a Clayface movie as part of the DCU… but the project earned a greenlight because Flanagan’s script was so good. He said, “I didn’t plan on making a Clayface movie. Mike came in. He pitched this wonderful idea. I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe you got me to want to make a Clayface movie.’ But he’s got to write the script and who knows how that’s going to work. He goes and he writes the script. First draft is great. Second draft is even better. And then I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we found a place for it because if there’s quality stuff, we can find a way to work it in.“
Despite the praise the first two drafts of the script received, journalist Jeff Sneider of The InSneider hears that Clayface is getting a page 1 rewrite. Reporting on the Sgt. Rock delay / cancellation, Sneider wrote, “Isn’t it funny how quickly the trades mentioned the exact start date (Oct. 1) for James Watkins’ Clayface, which was obviously at DC’s behest. By then, the studio will know how Superman performed, and if that movie bombs, you can also expect the plug to be pulled on Clayface, which, by the way, is currently undergoing a Page 1 rewrite. I’m told Mike Flanagan turned in a solid skeleton for a Clayface movie, but it was still a fairly rough draft, as he had to turn his attention to his Carrie series for Prime Video. The new writer’s identity has yet to be revealed — same with DC’s planned Brave and the Bold movie.“
Are you glad to hear that Clayface is supposed to start filming in October? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
The post Clayface starts filming in October; rumored to get a page 1 rewrite appeared first on JoBlo.
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