DC Studios has finally found a director to mold Clayface.
After several months of searching, Speak No Evil helmer James Watkins has been chosen to direct the feature based on the Batman villain, which has a script from horror maestro Mike Flanagan.
Sources say that DC co-chief James Gunn met with Watkins Thursday for a final presentation that led to the nod of nabbing the gig. A deal will now be hammered out.
Clayface was first introduced in 1940 and known for his ability to shape-shift. Sources say the film is budgeted at $40 million and is a Hollywood horror tale centering on a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant, only to find out that he can reshape his face and form, becoming a walking piece of clay. The movie is due to shoot later this year and is meant to show the breadth of DC material, from big-budget superhero fare such as Superman on one side of the spectrum to lesser known characters in projects that are more modestly budgeted.
The Batman director Matt Reeves will produce Clayface, along with Lynn Harris and DC Studios bosses Gunn and Safran. The film has a Sept. 11, 2026 release date.
There is yet no casting for the film, though Gunn and Safran have said actors who work in animation on DC Studios projects will play the character in live-action as well. Alan Tudyk voices Clayface in the animated series Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos. Ron Perlman previously voiced him in animated projects Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. Brian McManamon played the villain on Gotham, while Lorraine Burroughs played Clayface on Pennyworth.
Watkins is coming off of Speak No Evil, the James McAvoy-starring creepfest that remade the 2022 Danish psychological horror-thriller, which generated strong reviews and was profitable at the box office. The helmer has the credits for making grounded horror movies, making his debut with the gripping Eden Lake, which starred Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly as a couple terrorized by a group of youths led by Jack O’Connell. He followed that up with 2012’s The Woman in Black, a ghost story that starred Daniel Radcliffe.
Watkins, whoe is also known for the 2016 Idris Elba thriller The Take and the Netflix sci-fi horror show Black Mirror, is repped by WME.
