Despite Superman spreading a message of kindness and positivity, it looks like DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters won’t be all sunshine and rainbows, as DC boss James Gunn says upcoming Clayface movie is a total horror film.
"And then we got Clayface, which is like a totally different thing. Although it’s in the same universe, it’s a complete horror film," said Gunn to CBSMornings while listing upcoming DCU projects already in the works. "That’s one of the things we want to do… there’s not a company style. It’s not like every movie is going to be like Superman."
Gunn added that the reason he wants each movie to feel "tonally" different is because that’s exactly what DC Comics does; not every comic is the same. To achieve a different vibe, Gunn says that each DCU project will have a personal touch from the different teams that work on them. "The artists and the directors and the writers that create each one will bring their own sense to it," said the DC boss.
This makes total sense as DC has brought in some serious horror legends to work on Clayface. Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep helmer Mike Flanagan wrote the initial Clayface script and, although the movie has faced some rewrites from Drive scribe Hossein Amini, Gunn maintains that "it’s all Mike’s story."
In the Clayface director's chair is James Watkins, best known for his seriously disturbing 2024 flick Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy, The Woman in Black, and Eden Lake. With Flanagan and Watkins behind the DC villain story, we can only imagine the scares that await.
The DC comic book character first appeared in Detective Comics in June 1940. Clayface is an actor who took one of his horror roles a little too far and turned to a life of crime. There have been many incarnations of the character over the years, but most possess Clayface’s signature, goopy, clay-like body and shapeshifting abilities.
DC Studios will release Clayface on September 11, 2026. For more, see our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, or keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows.
