Mike Flanagan's Clayface Movie Is Inspired By Batman: The…

Summary

Mike Flanagan drew inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series for his Clayface script.
Although getting rewrites, the Clayface script impressed DC Studios enough for a September 2026 release.
Clayface being a part of a revitalized DCU shows promise with creators playing with established characters.

James Gunn surprised pretty much everyone when he greenlit a DCU Clayface film spearheaded by horror great Mike Flanagan back in December 2024. Given what Flanagan recently said about his screenplay, though, it makes a bit more sense.

Even though Superman is still a little ways off at this point, the hype for Warner Bros. And DC Studios' brand-spanking-new DC Universe has never been higher. Superman flies into theatres this summer, Peacemaker begins streaming on HBO Max in August, and Lanterns is set to release sometime early next year, with Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface hot on its heels. Years after WB's initial swing at a connected cinematic universe completely flew off the rails, DC fans have something to be excited about. If Mike Flangian's script mostly stays intact after official rewrites, Bat-fans should be delighted with Clayface, assuming what the director recently revealed in an interview is true.

Mike Flanagan’s Clayface Is A Good Sign For the New DCU

James Gunn's new and improved DCU seems prepped to let creators play with the comic characters that inspire them, which implies a lot of promise.

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By Joshua Kristian McCoy

Writer/director Mike Flanagan recently sat down with Comicbook.com to promote his upcoming film The Life of Chuck. Given that Comicbook.com is, well, Comicbook.com, they got around to asking Flanagan about what inspired Clayface, since he wrote the initial screenplay for the movie. "‘Feat of Clay,’ Ron Perlman, to me, that’s it," he explained. "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. Batman: The Animated Series, when I was growing up, was my Batman. As much as Keaton was my Batman, The Animated Series really was my Batman."

"I don’t know what they’re doing with 'Clayface.' 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."

It's Hard To Think Of A Better Inspiration For Clayface Than Batman: The Animated Series

While it is obviously unclear what Clayface will end up looking like when it hits theatres late next year, using Batman: The Animated Series' "Feat of Clay" is an incredible starting point. The two-part episode tells the origin story of Clayface, here an actor named Matt Hagen, who goes from successful star to unemployable due to a car accident. A shady businessman offers Hagen a second shot at an acting career by offering him the use of an experimental drug cleverly called Renuyu. In a story that parallels numerous real-life tragedies, Hagen becomes addicted to the substance and will do anything to get more of it, including any crime necessary. Things spiral from there for Hagen, as you can imagine. It is a much more grounded take than something like Harley Quinn's more comedic spin on the character (played by the great Alan Tudyk).

Although Clayface is getting rewrites from Drive and Obi-Wan Kenobi screenwriter Hossein Amini, Flanagan's script must have been in great shape to get a green light from DC Studios so quickly after revamping their cinematic universe. Assuming Clayface hits its September 2026 release date, it'll only be the third DCU film released after Superman and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. With numerous other films like the Batman-centric The Brave and the Bold and Swamp Thing still in current development as opposed to pre-production, DC Studios' heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have to feel confident about Clayface's prospects regardless of rewrites. Otherwise, the DCU could be following in the footsteps of the DCEU, which is something no one wants.

Clayface is currently set to release in theatres on September 11, 2026.