Surprising many, except maybe those that have been following the rumors surrounding the character, James Gunn has confirmed we are getting a Clayface project in 2026 with Mike Flanagan writing the script. The project will be set in the DCU, likely meaning Clayface will not appear in the Matt Reeves' Batman Epic Crime Saga. The idea of a Clayface movie or Max series is great and there are so many interesting ways it could play out, but it still begs this question:
Clayface is a Batman villain. He made his debut in Detective Comics number 40 way back in 1940. He's been a nemesis of The Caped Crusader ever since, except for a brief run in the New 52 Detective Comics in which he was actually part of the Batfamily. Regardless, he's a character that is pretty much always connected to Batman. I think it's a bit odd that we're getting a movie or series focusing on a singular villain of Batman, not a group like Creature Commandos, before we get Batman himself. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a Clayface HBO series, but does it really make sense to do this before The Brave and the Bold?
Gunn has said before that his strategy with the DCU is very different from what the MCU is doing. It's a strategy that focuses on quality over quantity, something Marvel is struggling with right now. Gunn has said that a project does not get the green light until he sees a script that he likes. I think that's a great strategy when it comes to producing great movies, but how well is that going to work for a connected cinematic universe if we get good scripts for side characters' movies before the main character?
On top of this, The Brave and the Bold doesn't even have a confirmed writer. There's been speculation that Christina Hodson, who wrote an awful script for The Flash, will be the writer, but there's also been speculation that Andy Muschietti, the director of the project, will write it or that James Gunn himself will end up doing it. If a project doesn't have a writer, how can it ever possibly be greenlit under this strategy? At what point does Gunn decide to prioritize a project for the purpose of existing in a cinematic universe that will culminate in the formation of the Justice League? Gunn has directly said that he does not want to do this, but there has to be a breaking point. Will we hit 2030 before a Batman movie in the DCU comes to fruition?
I've wondered if Gunn and Peter Safran are concerned about Batman fatigue or are intentionally prioritizing Reeves' Batman movies over the DCU's. The Batman Pt II is scheduled to release in October, 2026. If The Brave and the Bold was greenlit and streamlined right now, the two movies would almost certainly come out within six months of each other. It's more or less impossible for me to get Batman fatigue as long as the movies are good, but the general audience doesn't like Batman quite as much as I do. If two Batman movies come out with two different actors playing the character in two different universes, there's bound to be some confusion from the general audience. For that reason, I could see Gunn and Safran taking a very different strategy, something that I've always thought would be awesome to see.
Maybe Batman and Robin are going to make their DCU debuts in Clayface. I've always thought a movie about a Batman villain, in which the villain is presented as the protagonist and Batman is presented as the antagonist, would make for a unique experience unlike any Batman film we've seen before. You could argue this briefly happened in Suicide Squad, but that was too short of an experience to count. It wasn't the main story. Imagine this: a B list actor, Basil Karlo, finally lands a big role only to be recast. It's a very sympathetic story and written in a way that makes us feel sorry for Basil, but, in his state of melancholy, he takes a dark turn, so dark that it becomes harder for the audience to root for him. Through some kind of comic book nonsense, he becomes a shapeshifter and his newfound power allows him to get new roles with different faces, but his sense of identity starts to fade and his mind is going with it. As he degrades, he gets fired again, and, with newfound madness, begins to take revenge on those who wronged him. In the third act of the movie, the audience finds out they're rooting for the wrong guy. As they witness Karlo commit murderous acts, they realize someone's hunting him: Batman.
However, I find this unlikely. Gunn's love for niche characters (which I wrote about here) means he probably won't want Batman overshadowing the title character. Ultimately, I think Batman fatigue is the main reason we are getting Clayface before The Brave and the Bold, but maybe Gunn can find a way around this problem. Regardless, it seems like an odd choice to give Clayface his own movie before Batman. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the project, I just want more Batman in my life.
Check out my list of who could play Clayface here, and let me know what you think of Gunn's strategy in the comments!