This has been an incredibly productive week in the development of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, or the DCU. The biggest splash was created by the arrival of the Superman trailer, giving us our first real look at actor David Corenswet in action. In addition, Gunn’s animated project Creature Commandos continues to roll along, potentially catching audiences off guard with an extremely emotional backstory for the unusual Weasel (Sean Gunn) in Episode 4. So far, the DCU has been dictated by story and character, so while we know that upcoming DC projects will focus on Supergirl and the Green Lantern Corps, sometimes we hear about a curveball that has us scratching our collective heads.
Like a Clayface movie, written by Doctor Sleep and The Haunting of Hill House mastermind Mike Flanagan.
It had been teased through marketing materials that the longtime Batman villain Clayface would appear in Creature Commandos before that series concludes in January. I don’t think any of us expected to hear about a Clayface movie, though. So during the DC event in Los Angeles for the Superman trailer, I got some time with James Gunn exclusively and asked him about that development. And he told me:
As I say all the time, everything here is about, ‘I want to make sure we have the screenplay that works perfectly.’ That goes above and beyond anything else. So when Mike Flanagan comes in and he is like, ‘I got this idea for Clayface…’ I didn't think about, ‘We're going to do something with Clayface.’ But then he told me this idea he had, and the idea was so amazing. And I'm like, ‘Well, let's take a shot. Let's go write it!’ So he writes it, and he comes in with this amazing script. He was so passionate about it that I'm like, ‘That definitely could fit in.’ It's just quality above everything. Then we have to figure out, ‘How does that fit in with everything else?’
This is actually so encouraging for the development of the DCU. Previous attempts at building a cinematic universe often put the cart before the horse, with studio executives announcing a 10-year slate of projects and targeted release dates, just to keep a pin on the calendar for possible blockbusters. That’s not a healthy way to construct a world.
I also fully agree with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s current strategy of establishing a universe without trying to automatically connect all of the dots right out of the gate. Stories like Creature Commandos, Superman, Lanterns, Peacemaker, and Supergirl can all take place in a world known as the DCU. But they don’t have to intersect for narrative reasons. This leaves enough freedom for a filmmaker or screenwriter to approach Gunn and say, “Hey, I have this crazy idea for a Clayface story.” And if it works, Gunn can slot it in. It also means that a previously announced movie based on The Authority or Swamp Thing can remain in development until the script is right. Decisions aren’t being dictated by a release date. As Gunn says, “Quality above everything else.”
The Clayface movie raises a few interesting questions. Will the DCU Batman appear in the film? And will the current Clayface release date of September 2026 hold, given the fact that Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2 is expected to drop the following month? It feels like ONE of them will blink and shift. But I love the way that Gunn already is teasing Clayface, and I trust in Flanagan to deliver the goods. The DCU continues to grow, and will only expand more in 2025.
