Clayface DCU movie is in its last week of filming

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm, and then Tom Rhys Harries (Kandahar) signed on to star in the film. Production has been underway for several weeks – but now, it’s nearing the end. Harries took to social media to announce that Clayface is now in its last week of filming!

Over the weekend, James Gunn celebrated the anniversary of the Clayface character’s comic book debut with this post:

Harries shared the post on his Instagram stories, adding that it was the last week of filming. Here’s a screen shot, courtesy of SuperHeroHype:

During an interview with i09 a while back, Gunn admitted that he had no intention of making a Clayface movie as part of the DCU until he saw Flanagan’s script. He said, “I didn’t plan on making a Clayface movie. Mike came in. He pitched this wonderful idea. I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe you got me to want to make a Clayface movie.’ But he’s got to write the script and who knows how that’s going to work. He goes and he writes the script. First draft is great. Second draft is even better. And then I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we found a place for it because if there’s quality stuff, we can find a way to work it in.“ Batman: The Animated Series made its debut back in 1992, and the fourth and fifth episodes of the show were a two-parter called Feat of Clay, which showed “the transformation of a disfigured actor into the villain known as Clayface.” In an interview with ComicBook.com, Flanagan confirmed that his script was inspired by those episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Surprisingly, since Clayface was only greenlit based on the strength of Flanagan’s script, Drive writer Hossein Amini was brought in to do what has been referred to as a complete rewrite. Gunn has assured that the script is still “all Mike’s story” and any changes are minor.

Deadline reminds us, “Clayface is shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and got his introduction as part of Detective Comics #40. The original Clayface was a moderately successful actor who adopted the identity of a character he’d portrayed in a horror pic after turning to crime. Clayface has a body seemingly made out of clay and has appeared over the years in various films, series, animated works, video games and other forms of media.”

According to Nexus Point News, Tom Rhys Harries’ character is Matt Hagen, who “debuted in Detective Comics #298 in 1961 and was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. Hagen was originally a treasure hunter who transformed into Clayface after an encounter with protoplasm.” Many expected him to be playing Basil Karlo, who “debuted in Detective Comics #40 in 1940 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. In the Golden Age, Karlo was a disgraced actor who donned the costume of a character he portrayed known as Clayface and sought to murder the crew and cast of the remake of a film he once starred in.”

Naomi Ackie (I Want to Dance With Somebody) takes on the role of Caitlin Bates, Matt Hagen’s love interest and doctor, while Max Minghella (Spiral: From the Book of Saw) is reportedly in the mix to play John, a detective and fiancé to Caitlin Bates, who’s suspicious of his fiancée’s relationship with Matt Hagen/Clayface.

Are you glad to hear that Clayface is about to wrap filming? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Clayface DCU movie is in its last week of filming appeared first on JoBlo.