DC character Clayface is getting a live action movie written by horror master Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, Life of Chuck), though it’s important to note that Flanagan himself won’t be directing the movie. James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil) will be in the director’s chair for this one.
It’s equally important to note that the Flanagan-penned Clayface movie is currently undergoing revisions, with writer Hossein Amini (Drive) coming on board to revise the script. It’s impossible to know at this stage how much of Flanagan’s vision will remain in tact, with Flanagan himself pondering the very same question in a new chat with ComicBook.com.
“I don’t know what they’re doing with Clayface,” Flanagan admits. “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.”
Flanagan’s screenplay for the Clayface movie, he reveals in the chat, was heavily inspired by the character’s appearance in the classic “Batman: The Animated Series.” Particularly, the two-part episode titled “Feat of Clay,” which famously introduced Clayface into the series.
“I mean that is the perfect [story],” Flanagan tells ComicBook.com, “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.”
Flanagan’s script was described as “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,” with Flanagan describing the project back in 2021 as “horror/thriller/tragedy.” But again, there’s no telling how much of Flanagan’s vision will be changed by Hossein Amini’s revisions. Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
The Clayface character was introduced by DC Comics in Detective Comics #40 way back in June 1940, an adversary of Batman with a clay-like form and shapeshifting abilities. The character has been played on screen in both animation and live action, with actors including Alan Tudyk, Ron Perlman, Brian McManamon, and Lorraine Burroughs having played the role.
