‘Clayface’ Lays Groundwork For Batman And Gotham City In The DCU, But Not Robert Pattinson
Clayface, now in production, is possibly DC Studios’ biggest gamble, and may prove to be the growing entity’s most critical test. As a confirmed installment in the Gods and Monsters slate, the film is the DCU’s entrée into the universe’s microcosm of Gotham City and The Dark Knight.
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However, like Todd Phillips’ standalone Joker duology, they are introducing everything except Batman for the time being. Also, in the vein of Joker, Clayface is a villain-centric origin story, which could work in its favor if DC Studios is sufficiently self-aware after the debacle that was Joker: Folie à Deux.
If they are reading the tea leaves, they realize they’re in the middle of another wave with mid-budget horror that can be ridden into next year. Between Sinners and Weapons, they are doing very well in that genre. Moreover, this high is happening on the heels of the sensation known as The Substance.
Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar bait, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, made body horror mainstream again for the first time in decades, since at least David Cronenberg and The Fly. WB/DC, and Gunn, especially (the big splatter horror enthusiast that he is), had to be paying attention.
Clayface is a full-blown body horror that was fast-tracked, arguably because it has the right recipe for success – right time, a genre with a strong track record theatrically, and a modest budget. DC Studios may have a test ahead of them, but based on their enthusiasm and each factor, it’s one they believe they can easily pass. Everything appears to be in their favor, after all (on paper).
However, they may be succumbing to their tendency to put too many eggs in one basket. This is what happened with the Snyderverse (see Batman v Superman and Justice League), and it continues with the bloated ensembles of Superman and Supergirl.
The developing malady in Clayface isn’t exactly the same, but it shares one of the main symptoms: shamelessly blatant Easter Eggs. The clear references are mounting as nods to The Joker, Penguin, Robin, and more are leaking from the set onto social media, one after another.
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It’s gotten to the point where people are finding random Bat symbols around the set. They look like the ones used for The Batman, and are sparking speculation that Gunn is giving up and folding Matt Reeves’s universe into the DCU.
Gunn denied this on Threads again, but left the door open a slight crack to the possibility Clayface’s art department put The Batman logo on the dumpster. “Although the trash can is from the set I have a hard time believing the bat was put there by the art department,” he said (via ComicBookMovie), “but if so it never came across my desk (I don’t have time to ok every piece of set dressing.)”
It could be deliberate or an unrelated stunt by a fan, but either way, it’s doubtful Gunn is using Clayface to bridge the DCU with Reeves’s Epic Batman Crime Saga. However, he does seem to be buying more time for The Brave and The Bold and the Caped Crusader’s proper introduction into his continuity.
The delay of that project and the question of Andy Muschietti’s commitment to it combined leave further doubt about the remaining solidity and tenability of Gunn’s initial Gods and Monsters slate.
