DC Studios’ Clayface, its upcoming live-action movie based on the shape-shifting Batman villain, has found its director in horror veteran James Watkins, with the film set for release on 11 September 2026.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, DC Studio co-CEO James Gunn recently met with Watkins for a final presentation that secured him the project after several months of searching. He will now work alongside fellow horror expert Mike Flanagan, who wrote the script for the upcoming film.
Watkins is best known for his work in horror films, the most recent being last year’s Speak No Evil, a remake of the 2022 Danish-Dutch film of the same name starring James McAvoy. His directorial debut, the 2008 horror-thriller Eden Lake starring Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly also won Best Horror Film at the 2009 Empire Awards, cementing his pedigree in the horror genre.
Clayface was first introduced in 1940 as a disgruntled actor-turned-criminal who can shape-shift, even able to temporarily turn into a monstrous clay beast. The Hollywood Reporter’s sources further add that the film will centre around “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”, with the movie being budgeted at US40 million.
The film will be produced by DC Studio’s Gunn and Safran, alongside Matt Reeves (The Batman) and Lynn Harris (Se7en, The Notebook). No further details have been revealed on its cast, but that will surely change in the coming months as Clayface approaches its 11 September 2026 release date.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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