Sometimes, studios can be baffling.
Warner Bros and DC being, of course, a clear example of this. First, under the guise of the DCEU, they tried to get some of that sweet, sweet Guardians of the Galaxy money by forming the Suicide Squad before they even formed the Justice League. That decision turned out to be a creative disaster, so what are they thinking now by releasing a standalone movie about one of Batman’s more niche villains before they even know which Batman, if any, he could face in the future?
But as bizarre as this choice seems, it’s still a part of the Batman cinematic universe. As you probably know, I’m a huge Batman fan, and I like the idea of bringing this villain to the big screen, but the timing just doesn’t make sense. Look, I’m not against Clayface in theory – the teaser was adequately creepy, and the body horror on show, with a shot of Clayface’s face getting sliced open, suggest that it will probably reside in Matt Reeves’ corner of this cinematic universe. With so little of his performance to go on, it’s hard to tell how Tom Rhys Harries will contend with the role, but the special effects and make-up is exactly where you’d expect it to be for a movie of this nature.
What Clayface also has going for it is director James Watkins – he has great horror chops thanks to his intense adaptation of The Woman in Black, and a mean streak a mile long shown in his debut Eden Lake and last year’s remake of Speak No Evil. With a screenplay from Mike Flanagan and Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini, Clayface has impeccable horror and thriller credentials, with Flanagan saying he was inspired by Clayface’s origin episodes in the peerless Batman: The Animated Series, another good sign.
The plan, if I can see one at all, seems to be copying The Animated Series MO of focusing on Batman’s villains as much as himself – making Clayface a standalone, pure horror story, which the character is especially suited to, seems like a stroke of genius regardless of how he fits in to the wider DC story. I would love to know what you thought of this teaser and where you stand on such an out-there adaptation choice for this Batman cinematic universe – are there other villains you would have liked to see get it before Clayface, or do you think this is the right choice? Let us know in the comments below!
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By Kevin Boyle
No But Listen 