Mike Flanagan’s Clayface Movie May Have Finally Locked In A Director

Another DCU movie is coming up and it seems that it’s making positive progress. Clayface may have just found a director to take over Mike Flanagan, who is too busy to helm the film he wrote.

Flanagan is very interested in making a movie about Clayface, one of the villains in DC Comics. He expressed his interest in the project in January 2021 and pitched the idea to DC Studios co-chairmen and co-CEOS James Gunn and Peter Safran in March 2023. In December 2024, Flanagan was officially announced as the scriptwriter for the Clayface movie, but the filmmaker is too busy to direct. However, according to recent reports, it might have just landed a new director.

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Over the weekend, there were a lot of talks about Flanagan’s Clayface movie and who would be directing it. In December, they were reportedly considering J.A Bayona (The Impossible, Society of the Snow) to helm the project. However, last week, there were claims that Jeff Wadlow (Imaginary, Fantasy Island) and James Watkins (Speak No Evil) were also being eyed for the anticipated DCU movie. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the rumors about Wadlow being considered for the project were not true. Unnamed insiders told the outlet, “Wadlow is NOT in the mix.” His name reportedly never came up in the discussion to helm Clayface. However, chances are high that Watkins will get the gig. Watkins hasn’t met with Gunn and Safran yet for the said project. However, he is expected to have a meeting with them.

Flanagan is reportedly not available to direct the movie because his plate is full. He is attached to a Carrie TV series and another project — The Exorcist reboot. However, the filmmaker previously said his Clayface movie would be a “horror/thriller/tragedy.” The film will focus on Basil Karlo, the first Clayface who made his debut in the Detective Comics #40 in 1940. Basil is a B-list actor who stars in horror movies, and he loses his mind after learning that one of his movies will have a remake without him. He starts wearing a mask and killing those involved in the project. Although he has no power initially, in the later iterations, he develops shapeshifting abilities. Gunn confirmed the Clayface movie in December on social media. “Exciting news out of @dcofficial Studios today as Clayface, a DCU story from a script by Mike Flanagan, has been OFFICIALLY greenlit,” the DC Studios honcho wrote on Thread.

Although there’s no official detail about the anticipated Clayface movie, the initial reports that it will focus on a struggling actor and explore a “Hollywood horror story” are already making fans excited. This aligns well with Basil’s story, who engages in multiple murders as his career declines. Many are expecting the film to showcase the themes of identity, transformation and the downside of fame. At present, the project has already drawn comparisons to the 2023 body horror movie The Substance starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid since the latter also covers the same themes — identity, horror elements and shapeshifting. One should note, however, that Clayface predates The Substance, so the former is unlikely a copycat. However, when the movie is out, another round of comparison between the two horror films may resurface.

Clayface will be released on September 11, 2026.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter