With a box office gross of more than $770 million, The Batman was one of the most successful films of 2022, as well as one of Warner Bros.’s most successful films in recent memory. Apart from its commercial success, The Batman was also a critical winner, with an 85% Rotten Tomatoes rating as proof.
Now, according to a new report by Deadline, the film’s sequel, titled The Batman – Part II, will feature a new villain in Clayface. The report claims that, according to its sources, while the film’s scripts are constantly changing, Clayface is a big addition to The Batman 2.
Many comics fans will remember Clayface as an alias for many of the franchise’s villains. Nevertheless, the first version of the character was an actor who adopted the name from a character he had played and had a clay-like body.
The report also revealed that filmmaker Mike Flanagan is interested in making a feature film based on the villainous Clayface, although it will be different from the character that will appear in The Batman – Part II. While he is a villain in the larger Batman universe, Flanagan’s proposed take on Clayface will not depict him as a bad guy. However, DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran are reportedly yet to respond, whether negative or positive, to the filmmaker’s pitch.
Flanagan has long been interested in making a film about Clayface. In 2021, in response to a tweet, he revealed his desire to do a Superman movie and stated he would be keen to work on a Clayface film as well, although with a horror, thriller, or tragedy spin to it.
Well I've wanted to do a Superman movie since I was a kid, but I would also be really keen to do a standalone Clayface movie as a horror/thriller/tragedy. https://t.co/68nZFLOGLT
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) January 8, 2021
Sometime in March, while speaking on the Script Apart podcast, he revealed he had made a similar pitch to DC producer Jon Berg to no avail. In his words, "I really want[ed] to do Clayface. I went in and said, 'You know, if you want to do some horror-leaning DC stuff, boy do I have a great take on Clayface. I'd love to do that movie.'"
Flanagan’s credentials include Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining, the popular adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The filmmaker and director is also the brain behind the Netflix horror anthology series The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House, among others. And even though he doesn’t seem to have much success with his DC projects, at least so far, he has plenty with Stephen King projects, especially since he is currently adapting The Dark Tower for the small screen.
The Batman starred Robert Pattinson as the titular character with Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Turturro playing other characters. It was directed by Matt Reeves who co-wrote the script with Peter Craig.
Apart from Pattinson, The Batman – Part II will see Andy Serkis reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth. There are also rumors that Paul Dano and Colin Farrell will reprise their roles as The Riddler and Oswald Cobblepot respectively. Likewise, Matt Reeves will return as director and co-write the film’s script with Mattson Tomlin.
The Batman – Part II will begin filming in England this November. It is slated for release on October 3, 2025.
