Batman’s Second Best Villain Is Finally Getting His Own Movie
Mike Flanagan has pitched a Clayface movie to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Mike Flanagan has pitched a Clayface movie to Warner Bros. Discovery, though the studio has yet to greenlight or turn down the project. Deadline reports that the Haunting of Hill House creator, along with Trevor Macy, his partner at Intrepid Pictures, made the proposal to James Gunn and Peter Safran, who are heading up the new DCU films. In the proposed movie, it is rumored, Clayface would be cast as the protagonist and not a villain, which would be a new direction for the character after decades as a Bat-heavy.
Mike Flanagan’s Clayface was not discussed as a part of The Batman – Part 2, which is currently slated for an October 2025 release. But this is not a particular surprise as Flanagan has previously expressed his interest in bringing the metamorphosing menace to the screen, tweeting back in 2021 that he envisioned the character as the subject of a “standalone….horror/thriller/tragedy.” Horror has mostly been the writer/director’s stock-in-trade, from the aforementioned Hill House to Doctor Sleep and, most recently, episodes of The Midnight Club.
While Mike Flanagan is currently pushing for his Clayface movie, he has also said that he has a story in mind for a Nightmare on Elm Street film that he wants to direct, though ownership of that property has been hard to track down. No such issue exists with Batman as Warner Bros. Discovery continues to build the DCU cinematic universe, even if not always with a clear vision. While Gunn has confirmed a non-canon, Elseworlds spinoff universe, it’s not clear whether the Clayface project would, with its possible villain-turned-hero, be a part of that subset of films.
Mike Flanagan is not far off the beam with his Clayface idea, as a previous standalone film about a Batman villain, Joker, was hugely successful, with Joker 2 already creating major buzz and almost keeping its Harley Quinn, Lady Gaga, away from the Oscars, where she was nominated. Of course, there’s also the new HBO Max series The Penguin on its way, which is set in the “Bat-verse” of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and will again star Colin Farrell as the titular baddie. That is not to mention that character’s reported return, alongside The Riddler and the Joker, in the upcoming Reeves sequel.
So, Mike Flanagan’s Clayface is landing in some pretty fertile ground as Batman’s villains continue to steal the spotlight from the Dark Knight. This means the pitch could have some serious traction with the studio, especially given Flanagan’s track record and unique vision. With Gotham and Pennyworth bringing fans small-screen Bat-spinoffs, not to mention the seemingly endless array of interesting characters the Batman universe holds, Clayface could be another major player in a cottage industry of films and series focusing on the Caped Crusader’s friends and foes.
Whether Mike Flanagan’s envisioned film happens or not, the idea of a Clayface movie is out there now. Fan response to the news might affect the studio’s decision, as might the success or failure of new Batman-related and DCU films in the coming years. And with The Batman – Part 2 still more than two years away, there will be a lot of time for molding Clayface into something new and interesting.
