In a purely broad stroke context, the DC Studios doesn’t need to be developing a Clayface movie right now. The DC Universe is only just starting to get on its feet, with Superman arriving in theaters this July as the first blockbuster in the canon, and it’s a peculiar move to make a solo film about a Batman villain before the introduction of the new Batman. The only reason Clayface has been fast tracked in recent months is because of the expressed extreme confidence in the screenplay written by Mike Flanagan… which is why I am completely confused by the most recent news about the project’s development.
Following rumors about behind-the-scenes changes that were reported last week, The Wrap is now saying that screenwriter Hossein Amini has been hired to rewrite the script for Clayface. The film still has director James Watkins attached, and there is still a plan in place to have production start this fall. Amini is an established talent, best known for writing the script for Drive starring Ryan Gosling, and his specific hiring has no actual impact on my take here. What actually befuddles me is that this move seems to go against the development strategy that has been exercised to date by James Gunn and Peter Safran as the co-CEOs of DC Studios.
A few months ago, I was part of a group of journalists invited to attended a sit down with the filmmakers/executives as they previewed their progress with Chapter 1 of the DC Universe. One thing that was repeatedly stressed was a specific correlation between completed scripts and production starts. In short: if a screenplay isn’t working right, it won’t be rushed through development simply to hit a targeted release date. Conversely, they explained that this was why Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow is now on track to come out in 2026 and why Clayface had become a priority.
They gushed about the script that Mike Flanagan had presented them in regard to the latter. Gunn expressed that he and Safran “would have died to have produced this movie” when they were making independent features like The Belko Experiment, and their tremendous commitment to it said a lot. For reasons expressed earlier, Clayface isn’t a movie that expressly needs to be made right now, but they scheduled a start of production and hired James Watkins to direct because they felt it was a movie worth making.
Less than three months later, I now have no idea what is going on, and my anticipation for Clayface is all but completely shattered. Mike Flanagan is one of my favorite filmmakers making movies and TV today, and I was stoked for the gruesome, R-rated body horror movie set within the DC Universe that was promised. But after this latest news, I have no expectations at all and therefore no real anticipation or excitement. The whole “why” of the production has become a mystery, and that’s disheartening to say the least.
I’m not immature enough to try and kick start some kind of movement or create a petition that sees Clayface go back to working with what Flanagan had created (if not especially because it’s not a script I’ve read), but until some clarity is offered, my confidence about what’s going on behind the scenes as the DC Universe grows has taken a significant hit. It’s not a great look to seemingly abandon a development strategy with the third feature in a franchise
There will hopefully be more information about the project coming soon, but until that time comes, keep checking in here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest big news about upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows.
