James Gunn has a "hard time believing" Clayface's The Batman tease is part of the DCU movie but admits "I don't have time to ok every piece of set dressing"

DC Studios boss James Gunn has partially debunked a tease from the set of Clayface which appeared to hint at Matt Reeves' The Batman being part of the DCU.

A photo from Clayface's set in Liverpool, England showed a sticker of the Batman logo from Robert Pattinson's iteration of the character stuck on a dumpster next to some Gotham set dressing.

After a – predictable – discourse about what that means for The Batman and the DCU, Gunn took to Threads to reply to a fan who highlighted the image.

"Although the trash can is from the set I have a hard time believing the bat was put there by the art department, but if so it never came across my desk," Gunn wrote, adding, "(I don't have time to ok every piece of set dressing.)"

The Batman 2 is set to begin filming next year, with director Matt Reeves having now handed in a completed script for the long-gestating project. Currently, The Batman is an 'Elseworlds' alternate universe project, with Clayface forming part of the first look at Gotham in the DCU alongside an upcoming Brave and the Bold Batman film.

"We've talked about it before, but it's not what's happening right now," Gunn previously told Entertainment Tonight of The Batman's status within the DCU. "Everything's in flux, so we'll figure out what we're doing next."

For its part, Clayface does have plenty of seemingly official Easter eggs that point towards more world-building in the DCU, including nods towards Joker and Robin.

Clayface hits cinemas on September 11, 2026 and The Batman 2 arrives in theaters on October 1, 2027.

For more, check out our guides on how to watch DC movies in order and a complete look at DCU Chapter One.