We’re a little over a week away from the DCU’s first real foray into horror with Clayface and it’s marking a couple of other firsts in the new DC universe… but is there a massive reveal to come too?
The movie is the first to bring, as I say, horror to the DCU, with the movie being described as a mix of The Fly, The Substance and Obsession, but it’s also the first time we step into the world of Batman as the movie is set in Gotham City, but even though we’ve been told Batman will not appear, we’re now wondering if the Dark Knight is indeed set to debut against Matt Hagan’s shape-shifting villain.
So, word on the street is that we won’t see a new live-action Batman until The Brave and the Bold, which is still a few years out, but we have seen him already in the DCU briefly when he appeared in Creature Commandos season one, left, which is also, coincidentally, where we meet Clayface for the first time – and you thought this movie was his debut!
But doesn’t it seem odd to make a Clayface movie set in Gotham and not have Batman at least be aware of the events going on? I’d say it is; after all, we know at this point in the DCU timeline, Batman has been active a few years, so he’s out there, watching.
Indeed, even Clayface director James Watkins, in a recent interview, admits that the shadow of the bat is hard to escape: “You’re in a city called Gotham. So I guess you feel the shadow of Batman inherently, because of the nature of where you are.”
However, it’s the interview with star Tom Rhys Harries, who plays Matt Hagan/Clayface, in which he’s asked in, in the movie, they’re aware of Batman, that seems to possibly hint that we might get more than a nod to the character.
“We have footage,” Harries says awkwardly before interjecting, “I don’t know how much I can say. But yes, we had discussions about that.”
Footage? Of what? Batman? If not, why would he have just said they were aware of Batman but he’s not around in this story? To say there’s ‘footage’ is a very odd slip, which certainly implies that Clayface will introduce the character we’re all waiting to see enter the fray of this universe.
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However, it seems that Harries isn’t familiar with what happens when Batman and Clayface meet, as he addresses if his character could beat Batman: “Yeah, I could take Batman out! Clayface is so overpowered comparative to Batman. I can become anybody. I can become anything. Once Matt gains control over his powers then you’re in a space where you’re like, ‘What do you want to use these for?'”
I know this is fanboying but I can’t help feeling that while Batman won’t be a part of this story, might not even ne mentioned, we will see some sort of nod to him in a post-credit scene. Honestly, it seems silly if they don’t.
As for Clayface, what’s next for the muddy menace? Well, DCU top man James Gunn says his story isn’t over yet (we know this as Creature Commandos takes place after Clayface): “I think one of the most fun things about creating the DCU is being able to tell stories that are very, very different from one another, in very different genres, and yet they all come together at certain points. And yeah, this isn’t the last we’ll see of Clayface. And I can’t wait for you guys to see what we do with him.”
When Joker came out in 2019, it made sense, for the story they were telling, that Batman didn’t exist (although we met a young Bruce Wayne in the movie) as this wasn’t THAT story but this Clayface movie IS that story. I guess we’ll know by next weekend. I know I can’t wait to return to Gotham City on the big screen for the first time.
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DC Studios’ “Clayface” is a horror thriller from director James Watkins, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the cult favorite villain from Gotham’s rogues gallery.
Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self… but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, spiraling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.
The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.
James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, story by Flanagan, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Chantal Nong Vo, Lars P. Winther, Paul Ritchie, Rafi Crohn and Trevor Macy executive producing.
Watkins’ creative team includes director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris and costume designer Keith Madden. Music is by Volker Bertelmann.
DC Studios Presents a 6th & Idaho Production, a James Watkins Film, “Clayface.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros.
Clayface arrives in theaters on October 23rd.
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Sources: SFX Magazine, Cinemax, Comicbook
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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