This would definitely fit the bill: “Haunted Hill House” creator Mike Flanagan, known for his horror films and scary series, is apparently working on a project about the Batman monster Clayface. Or will the DC character appear in “The Batman 2” after all?
Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep”, “Haunted Hill House”) has proposed a film about Batman villain Clayface to new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. This was reported by the US industry magazine Deadline. However, it is still unclear what will become of this pitch: As Deadline points out, there was neither a contract nor a concrete agreement or even the green light for a new film. At the same time, the studio has not said no.
On Twitter, Flanagan has already reacted to Deadline’s report, which many film sites have taken as a contradiction or denial. However, on closer inspection, he actually only writes that there is nothing concrete to say about it yet and that everything is “purely speculative”. However, he does not say that there was no meeting with DC:
Re: CLAYFACE – the news today is entirely speculative. When or if something like that ever becomes real, I promise I’ll tell you guys. 🙂
– Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) March 29, 2023
The somewhat unclear situation is apparently not only due to the very early status of the project (if one can even call it that), but also to the whole situation at DC. The superhero film studio is currently undergoing a major upheaval. Anyway, Flanagan and his producing partner Trevor Macy are said to have pitched a film in which Clayface would not be a villain and would stand on his own, according to Deadline.
But it is possible that Clayface is also part of “The Batman 2” with Robert Pattinson. As the industry magazine writes, director Matt Reeves is still juggling several scripts and/or screenplay drafts and in one of them Clayface is said to be a big new addition. This is all the more surprising considering Reeves’ realistic approach to “The Batman” and Clayface’s comic book backstory.
First appearing in the comics as early as 1940, Clayface is a colourful character, as the name has been borne by numerous characters and the villain’s history has been reworked throughout DC history. The most famous version of the character, however, is an actor named Basil Carlo who becomes a creature made of clay, allowing him to change his appearance at will. In his clay form, he not only looks pretty scary, but is also very strong and resilient and can shape his body into all kinds of weapons.
The character has also appeared in numerous DC productions of the past, such as the real-life series “Gotham” (played by Brian McManamon) or the terrific animated series “Harley Quinn”, where Basil Karlo, originally voiced by Alan Tudyk, is one of the absolute highlights.
Long story short: Whether Mike Flanagan will direct a “Clayface” film or the character will appear in “The Batman 2” or perhaps both or neither remains to be seen for now. By the way, Flanagan and Macy are currently working on an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” novels:
