Batman: The Animated Series made its debut back in 1992, and the fourth and fifth episodes of the show were a two-parter called Feat of Clay, which showed “the transformation of a disfigured actor into the villain known as Clayface.” Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm… and then, in a surprising turn of events, since Clayface was only greenlit based on the strength of Flanagan’s script, Drive writer Hossein Amini was brought in to do what has been referred to as a complete rewrite. Now, Flanagan has confirmed that his script was inspired by that classic Batman: The Animated Series two-parter… and that he is now out of the loop on what’s going on with Clayface.
During an interview with i09 a while back, Gunn admitted that he had no intention of making a Clayface movie as part of the DCU until he saw Flanagan’s script. He said, “I didn’t plan on making a Clayface movie. Mike came in. He pitched this wonderful idea. I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe you got me to want to make a Clayface movie.’ But he’s got to write the script and who knows how that’s going to work. He goes and he writes the script. First draft is great. Second draft is even better. And then I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we found a place for it because if there’s quality stuff, we can find a way to work it in.“
In a new interview, ComicBook.com asked Flanagan if his script drew inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series. He answered, “Of course it was. I mean that is the perfect [story]. Feat of Clay, Ron Perlman, to me, that’s it. That two-parter knocked me out. The short answer is that is absolutely what inspired my script. That is the world I wanted to live in. Batman: The Animated Series when I was growing up was my Batman. As much as [Michael] Keaton was my Batman, The Animated Series really was my Batman. I don’t know what they’re doing with Clayface. I’m not directing it, and that filmmaker will need to make it their own. I know that they’re doing work on the script. I’m off doing other things now, I really hope it remains true to the spirit of what I wanted it to be. But it’s not my movie, so I’ll be in the audience with you, anxious to see how it comes out.“
Watkins and Amini are working to get Clayface ready to start filming on October 1st, aiming for a September 11, 2026 theatrical release date. Meanwhile, Flanagan is working on multiple Stephen King adaptations. The Life of Chuck reaches theatres on June 6th, an eight-episode adaptation of Carrie is heading into production, and the TV series adaptation of The Dark Tower is still in the works.
Are you looking forward to Clayface and do you hope it remains true to the spirit of Mike Flanagan’s Batman: The Animated Series-inspired script? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
