Did Mike Flanagan have a grand plan for Clayface? The iconic horror director reveals why he stepped away from the DC Universe film he wrote.
While it was first seen as one of the most perplexing titles on the studio’s slate, Clayface has quickly become one of the most anticipated titles in the DC Universe. The film was written by horror legend Mike Flanagan. And while many expected him to also be the director, the studio instead brought on Speak No Evil and The Woman In Black alum James Watkins to helm the project.
Screen Rant recently had the chance to catch up with Mike Flanagan to speak about the process of developing a movie for the DC Universe. One of their questions was if Clayface may have actually been inspired by The Batman, especially as early rumors had director Matt Reeves bringing the villain into his universe. However, it seems Flanagan had much simpler inspirations than some might think.
“No, when we first started talking about Clayface, I hadn’t seen what Matt [Reeves] was up to. So it went all the way back to ‘Feat of Clay’, that incredible two-parter with Ron Perlman voicing the character, which was so formative for me as a kid.”
Why Isn’t Mike Flanagan Directing Clayface?
Of course, any discussion about Clayface with Mike Flanagan raises the question: if he loves the project so much, why isn’t he more closely involved? Continuing on in the interview, the writer remarked that he would have loved to helm the DC Universe film. However, his obligations ultimately led to them bringing on another director to get the film out of the door.
“Clayface, I had so much fun developing that with Matt, and then with James and Peter. It was one of the great kind of sadnesses of my career that I’m so sorry that when it came time to make it, and they wanted to make this movie right away, I wasn’t available.”
“[It] the only time this has ever happened to me where I was like, ‘I have to go make Carrie. There’s nothing I can do.’ [But] they wanted the movie to happen, so I had to kind of do the thing that I’ve never had to do before, it’s like, ‘Well, here you go. Have fun making the movie and tell me how it goes.'”
While it was likely hard for Mike Flanagan to watch a project he wrote be handed off to another director, it certainly makes sense given how slowly the DC Universe has been greenlighting new feature films. Clayface is set to be one of the studio’s tentpoles heading into the Halloween season, a gamble that will hopefully pay off in spades.
Clayface is set to release September 11th, 2026. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
