James Gunn Explains How the Clayface Movie Seemed to Happen so Fast

When James Gunn took over DC Studios, he and partner Peter Safran had an idea of what they wanted to do. They very clearly laid it out to the world. A Superman movie, which is coming soon. Creature Commandos, happening right now. Supergirl is in the works soon. But there were other things too: things that haven’t seen movement yet and, most excitingly, things he never foresaw. Things like Clayface which, from our perspective, was seemingly greenlit out of nowhere.

Not the case, Gunn told io9 earlier this week at the Superman trailer launch event. We cornered the director to talk about the amazing trailer but also figure out exactly what happened that on a Wednesday, the world heard Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) had written a movie based on the Batman villain, Clayface, and later the same week, it was greenlit with a release date.

Gunn explained that while news of the Clayface movie was first reported last week, it had actually been in the process for some time. Which is kind of how all things at DC work nowadays. “I didn’t plan on making a Clayface movie,” Gunn told io9. “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.”

We also asked if he is at all worried that a Clayface movie is now likely to open before the next Batman movie, from Matt Reeves, currently scheduled for release a month after Clayface. “Well, I mean, Clayface is in the DCU so it doesn’t matter,” Gunn said.

That process seems to be a good example of how Gunn and Safran are running DC at the moment. Lots of things could happen, but only a few are definitely happening. “There are lots of things that are getting reported that I haven’t green-lit and I haven’t said okay too,” Gunn told io9. “Some of those are true in terms of they’re in development, and some of them are not true. [And just] because they’re in development, that doesn’t mean I’m going to make that movie. There’s a lot of things people seem to be counting on that it may be unwise to count on.”

Yikes. What could he mean by that?

Right now, the confirmed, official, big-screen lineup for the DC Universe is only as follows:

• Superman – July 11, 2025
• Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – June 26, 2026
• Clayface – September 11, 2026
• Dynamic Duo – June 30, 2028

What else are you hoping comes to fruition?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.