James Gunn Confirms First R-Rated Movie in the New DC Universe

DC Studios is getting ready to dive into horror with one of its upcoming films, Clayface. James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, recently spoke about the movie during the DC Studios Showcase podcast and confirmed that it’s going to be a full-on body horror film, and they’re aiming for an R rating. Earlier this week, Tom Rhys Harries was cast in the main role.

DC Studios had been considering a number of rising British talents, including Jack O’Connell, Tom Blyth, and George MacKay, before locking in Harries for the gig. According to DC Studios co-head James Gunn, it wasn’t a rushed decision.

Gunn explained that the film wasn’t originally part of the DC Universe lineup, but director Mike Flanagan came in with a pitch that changed their minds.

According to Gunn, the story was so strong and unique that it earned its place in the new DCU. “It’s just a great horror movie that is a great, smart, fun horror movie which is in a genre that I happen to love, which is body horror,” Gunn said. “It’s rated R … it’s not anything now because the MPA has to watch it, but it’s most likely rated R. It’s pretty intense.”

The movie was announced in late 2024 and quickly locked in a release date for September 2026. James Watkins, who directed The Woman in Black, is expected to lead the project. Tom Rhys Harries has been cast as Clayface, playing the Matt Hagen version of the character. Production is planned to begin later this year.

At a previous press event, Gunn described the film as “pure f**ing horror.”* He didn’t hold back on how wild this film is going to get. Later, it was revealed that Hossein Amini was brought in to rewrite parts of Flanagan’s script, although Flanagan is still credited as the main writer, according to Gunn.

During a separate presentation back in February Gunn and fellow DC Studios head Peter Safran made it clear that Clayface belongs fully to the DCU. Gunn said, “Clayface is totally DCU.” Safran added that the only projects still part of Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe are the main trilogy and the Penguin series. Everything else, like Clayface, is now in the new connected universe being built by Gunn and Safran.

They explained that Clayface wouldn’t have worked in the grounded tone of The Batman saga. “It was very outside of the grounded non-super metahuman characters in Matt’s world,” Gunn said.

Safran shared more during the DC Studios event, saying that production on Clayface is set to begin this summer. “This summer, cameras are going to roll on Clayface, an incredible body horror film that reveals a compelling origin of a classic Batman villain,” Safran said. He also described the film as “experimental” and “not your traditional superhero tentpole movie.” Instead, he called it more of an indie-style horror film.

Gunn praised the script and said if this project had been presented to him years ago, before his work with DC, he would’ve jumped at the chance to make it. “If we were producing movies five years ago when we were doing Belko Experiment and all of that stuff, and somebody had brought us this horror script called Clayface about this guy, we would have died to have produced this movie,” Gunn said.

The character Clayface might not be as famous as The Joker or Penguin, but DC Studios believes his story is powerful and disturbing in a way that fits perfectly with their goals for the DCU.

Honestly, I think it’s refreshing to see DC Studios taking risks like this. A body horror movie centered on a lesser-known villain sounds bold and exciting. It shows that they’re willing to go beyond typical superhero stories and try something new. What do you think about Clayface becoming a full-on horror film? Would you watch it? Let us know in the comments below!