Clayface is getting his own movie at DC Studios, and Mike Flanagan is writing the script, though he may not direct

The question we face now is: Elseworlds story or DCU continuity?

After Joker: Folie à Deux flopping terribly and HBO's The Penguin series making a splash, Warner Bros. and DC are rolling the dice again with another Batman villain-centric project. Get ready for a Clayface movie penned by horror maestro Mike Flanagan.

That name alone was more than enough to make many ears perk up when the project was first rumored in early 2023, as Flanagan's output across TV and film in recent years has been nothing short of amazing. He quickly shot down the rumors, probably because nothing was set in stone yet, but it turns out those reports were on to something.

Via Variety, we've learned the movie has been given the go-ahead, with shooting expected to begin as soon as early 2025, which means the script from Flanagan is pretty much locked down at DC Studios. The filmmaker, however, is far too busy with new takes on The Exorcist and Carrie as well as other projects he's producing, so it's sounding like someone else will be directing.

While surprising at first, this is a sensible move from both Warner Bros. and DC Studios on the heels of The Penguin resonating with critics and audiences alike. And even if Joker 2 was a big failure, the original was a massive hit back in 2019 that warranted more experiments in the arena of Gotham City's evildoers. Moreover, Flanagan's name carries a lot of weight, much like the half-confirmed Sgt. Rock movie by Luca Guadagnino.

This is yet another bit of news that confirms DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn's commitment to putting all sorts of off-beat projects, like the tentative Bane & Deathstroke movie, into production alongside much safer bets like his Superman reboot. Clayface is even part of his animated series Creature Commandos, the first official chapter of the DCU, which raises the question of whether this movie will work with that iteration of the character or be an Elseworlds tale in the vein of The Batman, The Penguin, and the aforementioned Joker flicks.

Clayface was introduced in 1940 as a failed actor wearing a clay-like mask. Later, he gained shapeshifting abilities first introduced in 1961. This trait has been kept around in most of the following versions of the character, so even if Flanagan and producers Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris are targeting a more grounded approach, chances are this movie will lean heavily towards horror.