‘Clayface’ Director James Watkins Says His DC Horror Was Designed as a ‘Full Meal,’ Not a Sequel Setup

DC Studios took a big swing with ‘Clayface’. Rather than another traditional superhero blockbuster, the third film in the rebooted DC Universe, following ‘Superman’ and ‘Supergirl’, is an R-rated body horror film about the shape-shifting Batman villain, built from a story by horror favorite Mike Flanagan.

Directed by ‘Speak No Evil’ filmmaker James Watkins from a screenplay by Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, alongside Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. It also offers audiences their first look at Gotham City in the new DCU, with Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris producing alongside DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The gamble appears to be paying off. ‘Clayface’ opened in theaters on October 23 and took the top spot at the domestic box office, with Deadline reporting a $24 million debut and a worldwide start of around $43 million against a reported $44 million budget.

Audiences have embraced it as well. The film earned an A- CinemaScore and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, tying ‘Obsession’ for the highest audience score among major horror releases this year.

With that success, fans are naturally wondering what comes next for the character. In a new interview with Variety, Watkins was asked about the possibility of a sequel and whether Clayface might eventually face Batman, and he made it clear that wasn’t his goal.

The final trailer for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’ has been released. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/ecTMB97Sto

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“That’s a question for James Gunn,” Watkins told Variety. “I liked the standalone nature of it. I liked how it felt like it introduced a character. But I wasn’t trying to introduce the character to go, ‘OK, what next?’ I was trying to introduce the character as a full meal in itself.”

His answer reflects the film’s deliberate design. Instead of setting up future installments, Watkins focused on delivering a complete, self-contained story. Watkins also addressed the film’s limited references to the Caped Crusader. While Batman isn’t a major presence, the director suggested fans may find more nods than expected.

He explained that there are likely plenty of Easter eggs he isn’t even aware of, since the graphics department kept adding posters and other background details throughout production. The Variety conversation also covered the monster’s final design, a surprise cameo from Aaron Paul and the creation of Gotham City for the DCU.

New posters for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/jNPGZyZLaE

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Watkins’ comments line up with the broader approach Gunn has outlined for the DC Universe. The DC Studios co-chief recently defended the idea that films like ‘Clayface’ should be able to stand on their own, comparing the franchise’s flexibility to the ‘Star Wars’ model.

Gunn previously said the studio hoped the movie would work as a pure horror film even for audiences who don’t care about DC. Safran has also described it as a body horror film, signaling just how different it was meant to feel from typical comic book fare.

The project has been years in the making. Flanagan first floated the idea of a standalone Clayface movie in 2021, pitched it to DC Studios in March 2023, and Watkins was hired in February 2025 before Amini came aboard to rewrite the script.

No sequel has been announced, and Watkins hasn’t suggested one is in development. For now, ‘Clayface’ stands exactly as its director intended: a complete, gruesome origin story that doesn’t need a follow-up to feel satisfying.

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