DC enlists Drive scribe to rewrite Mike Flanagan’s Clayface script

DC’s upcoming Clayface movie is facing a rehaul as the studio enlists another writer to pen the script, which was originally written by The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan.

Screenwriter Hossein Amini will now rewrite the Clayface script for DC Studios, as reported by TheWrap. Amini is best known for writing the script for the 2011 cult hit Drive starring Ryan Gosling, and he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing of an Adapted Screenplay for his 1997 film The Wings of the Dove.

This news comes as a shock, as last year it was announced that horror legend Flanagan was writing the script after he pitched the idea via Twitter way back in 2023. The movie was set to be a horror-thriller-tragedy, but the news of a rewrite has us questioning whether this is still the case and if Flanagan is involved at all now.

We never saw an official logline from Flanagan’s script, but the film was said to be leaning more into Clayface's horror aspects. The DC comic book character first appeared in June 1940 as an actor who turned to a life of crime after taking on the personality of one of his horror roles, turning into a formidable villain made out of a strange, clay-like substance.

However, TheWrap reports that James Watkins, who directed last year's Speak No Evil remake, is attached to direct, with The Batman's Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris on board as producers. Plus, the rewrite doesn't seem to have stumped the project's timeline too much, as the film is scheduled to begin production in October in the UK.

DC Studios will release Clayface on September 11, 2026, as part of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. For more, see our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, or keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows.