Clayface Is An R-Rated ‘Pure’ Body Horror Movie Set In The DC Universe

“This summer, cameras are gonna roll on ‘Clayface,’ which is an incredible body horror film that reveals a compelling origin of a classic Batman villain,” Peter Safran announced to an eager room of journalists at a special DC Studios press event, including /Film’s own Bill Bria. “This is another title that we added to the slate on the strength of an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan,” he continued.

Since it was announced that the man who gave us “Doctor Sleep,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” “Midnight Mass,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” had turned in a script for a film based on one of the most interesting members of Batman’s rogues gallery, horror fans have been frothing at the mouth for more information about what a supervillain movie written by a modern master of horror might look like in Safran and James Gunn’s new slate of DC films, and perhaps even the DC Universe. But while Safran and Gunn are still keeping plenty of things close to the chest, what they did reveal should make even folks who aren’t as hot on superhero films very, very interested.

For starters, Safran and Gunn confirmed that James Watkins is in active negotiations to direct “Clayface.” In case you’re not familiar, Watkins is the filmmaker responsible for “Eden Lake,” “The Woman in Black,” the recent Blumhouse remake of “Speak No Evil,” and the horrifying “Shut Up and Dance” episode of “Black Mirror.” As for the Clayface character, he’s been previously voiced by Ron Perlman in the DC Animated Universe. Elsewhere, Alan Tudyk voices him in both the “Harley Quinn” and “Creature Commandos” animated series, while in live-action, Brian McManamon played him on “Gotham” and Lorraine Burroughs portrayed Lady Clay on “Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler.” 

In light of his history on the screen, Clayface could theoretically exist in any of DC’s new avenues, including Elseworlds. However, as Safran declared, “It was important that Clayface be part of the DCU. It’s an origin story for a classic Batman villain that we have in our world.” In other words, it seems “Clayface” — an R-rated body horror movie — is going to be part of the official DCU.

Most people are familiar at this point with Gunn’s past as a horror filmmaker, but some may be unaware of Safran’s history as a horror movie producer. Not only did he work on the “Conjuring” franchise as a producer at Warner Bros., but also one of his earliest collaborations with Gunn was on “The Belko Experiment,” a violent and volatile chamber piece about office workers forced to kill each other as part of a disturbing experimental study. Gunn even name-checked that film when discussing “Clayface,” saying that it’s the kind of movie he and Safran had been chasing down to make back then. “We would have died to produce this movie because it was just a really excellent body horror script,” Gunn explained. “And the fact it’s in the DCU is just a plus.”

In encouraging their philosophy of DC Studios being a creative-driven company, Gunn and Safran also discussed prioritizing quality over quantity — meaning, if a script is turned in and it doesn’t work, they’re not afraid to focus instead on what is working, with “Clayface” being named as one of the screenplays that’ve taken them by surprise so far. Their goal with the DCU, they added, is to create films and TV shows that cover the full spectrum of not just genre, but also audiences. This way, there’s something for everyone. That includes fans of “indie style chillers,” who are often left out of the tights and capes world of superhero cinema (despite the comic book landscape consistently featuring stories in the horror fan’s wheelhouse).

Fortunately, “Clayface” will be there to bridge that gap. “Not every movie has to be for everyone, but we want to have something for everyone,” Safran noted. The body horror villain origin story also came up when Safran and Gunn were asked about the prospect of mid-budget, experimental films on DC’s slate, so it certainly seems like “Clayface” is going to be Gunn’s avenue to honor the pathway that got him his start in the industry: inventive, weird-as-hell horror movies.

When journalists had time to ask questions of their own, the subject of how hard “Clayface” would go with the horror was brought up, and Gunn enthusiastically said the words that are music to any horror fan’s ears: “It’s definitely R-rated.” An R-rated, body horror origin story about a character who already has horror roots — his human name, Basil Karlo, was derived from Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff, and he was partially inspired by Lon Chaney in “The Phantom of the Opera” — written by Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins? Horror fans, we aren’t just eatin’ good, we are feasting.

It’s almost frustrating to hear Gunn and Safran talk about this with such ease, because it’s the remedy to the superhero fatigue many of us have been feeling for the better part of a decade. It shouldn’t have taken multi-billion dollar filmmaking empires to suffer massive flops and fandom outrage campaigns for those in charge of making the big decisions to recognize the solution is a diverse slate of storytelling styles and budgets. To be clear, I’m in no way critiquing Safran and Gunn here. However, I am critiquing those who didn’t pursue this style of plan years ago. Of course, we still have to actually see if DC can make good on its promises, but I can’t believe I’m saying this … I think I’m excited about superhero films again.

Indeed, as Gunn eagerly talked about seeing some of the dailies from shows like “Lanterns” and how different it is from his upcoming “Superman” film, he emphasized how excited he was that each project on the DC slate felt like it had an individual touch. When it comes to “Clayface” he called it “pure f***ing horror.” He continued, “Their version of that movie? It is so real and true and psychological and body horror and gross.”

Shut up and take my money, James! Sorry, we’re strangers. Shut up and take my money, Mr. Gunn.