Clayface Receives 2026 Release Date, New Details About The Character

The other day, news leaked that James Gunn’s DC Studios would move forward with a Clayface movie written by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep).

Now, Gunn himself has confirmed the film, Flanagan’s involvement, and the release date: September 11, 2026.

Exciting news out of
@DCOfficial
Studios today as
#Clayface
, a DCU story from a script by Mike Flanagan, has been OFFICIALLY greenlit.

Clayface premieres in 2026.

A New Take On Clayface

Deadline has reported further details. First, that The Batman’s Matt Reeves will produce (just like her did HBO’s The Penguin). Joining him is Lynn Harris (King Richard). They went on to say that “Flanagan is reportedly conceiving Clayface as a horror-thriller-tragedy. He won’t be painted as a villain which has been his reputation…The character is rumored to be part of Batman 2.”

The idea of Clayface not being a villain is interesting. There have been two primary incarnations of the character. Initially, he was a failed actor turned killer, wearing a costume from a horror movie he once starred in. Somewhere along the line, the character became a mud monster who can shapeshift into you, me, or Batman himself—a byproduct of science gone wrong.

Clayface And The Batman Universe

So far, we’ve had two stories in Reeve’s universe: The Batman film and Penguin HBO series. Both have remained grounded. And are, for now, completely separate from the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe.

While the Penguin character was a bad guy in The Batman, he wasn’t necessarily a villain. Certainly not someone who could legitimately threaten the caped crusader. Appropriately, Penguin’s TV show started with him as almost an antihero of sorts, someone you could see yourself rooting for, despite his flaws. Until he finally, inexorably crosses the line. By the end, he graduates to full villain status.

You could imagine a similarly patient journey unfolding with Clayface. He starts off innocently enough, but events befitting a horror-thriller-tragedy befall him. Like Oz Cobb (or Nolan’s Harvey Dent), we see who he could have been before he transforms into the worst version of himself.

The Future Of The DCU Under James Gunn

As expectations for Marvel movies have waned, DC Studios is positioned, for the first time in a long time, to gain some momentum. James Gunn’s tenure as head honcho came with some baggage in the form of Blue Beetle and The Flash. Now that he’s past the projects of his predecessors, a whole new era is about to begin.

So far there are 9 confirmed films, three with release dates.

• Superman (James Gunn) – July 11, 2025
• Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Craig Gillespie) – June 26, 2026
• Clayface – September 11, 2026
• The Authority
• The Brave and the Bold (Andy Muschietti)
• Swamp Thing (James Mangold)
• Untitled Teen Titans Film
• Untitled Bane and Deathstroke Film
• Sgt. Rock (Luca Guadagnino)

Gunn’s DCU also has seven TV series, one live and another with a release date.

• Creature Commandos (Dean Lorey) – Out
• Peacemaker (James Gunn) – August 2025
• Lanterns (Chris Mundy)
• Waller (Christal Henry & Jeremy Carver)
• Paradise Lost
• Booster Gold
• Untitled Blue Beetle Series (Miguel Puga)