More in store for the Batman villain as James Gunn confirms Clayface’s DCU comeback
After defending the project, James Gunn confirms the DCU’s solo horror lead won’t be a one-and-done.
On the red carpet for Clayface, James Gunn said the shape-shifting Batman villain’s story in the new DC Universe won’t stop with this film. Speaking with Cinemex at the premiere, he confirmed the character is being set up for more down the line, though he kept the specifics to himself.
“This isn’t the last we’ll see of Clayface.”
Gunn didn’t say where or when the character might pop up next, and he didn’t name a follow-up project. For now, Clayface’s return is confirmed, but his next appearance in the DCU remains unannounced.
The movie
Directed by James Watkins, Clayface centers on Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an actor whose career is wrecked by disfigurement and an experimental treatment that fixes his face at a terrifying cost. The film leans into horror, turning Hagen’s unstable identity and malleable body into the story’s monster.
It ’s the character’s first live-action feature after decades of mostly orbiting Batman in animation, games, and TV. This time, Clayface takes the spotlight.
The debate
Gunn recently defended making a movie around a lesser-known DC character during an exchange on Threads. Responding to a user who questioned who “asked for” a Clayface film, he argued that Hollywood isn’t a public vote and pointed to films like Casablanca, The Matrix , and Mad Max: Fury Road as examples that weren’t born from polling audiences.
He also credited Mike Flanagan with the initial spark for the idea, and said Watkins and screenwriter Hossein Amini shaped the final story — an approach he framed as creative conviction over chasing the most recognizable IP.
Clayface opens in theaters October 23.