CLAYFACE Set Photos Put An End To Speculation That THE BATMAN PART II Will Be Set In The DCU

Earlier this summer, we learned that Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries has been tapped to take on the title role in DC Studios' Clayface. The movie is based on a story by The Fall of the House of Usher's Mike Flanagan (Drive writer Hossein Amini penned the latest draft), with Speak No Evil director James Watkins at the helm.

Clayface wasn't among the projects announced by DC Studios at the start of 2023, making it a surprise addition to the "Chapter 1 - Gods and Monsters" slate. However, for James Gunn, it's supposedly all about story when it comes to which DCU projects receive the green light, and this one fit the bill in the filmmaker's eyes.

Production is currently gearing up to begin in Liverpool, England, and we have a first look at some Gotham City Police Department vehicles. There have been rumblings about a Los Angeles setting, but this confirms that we can expect to spend some time in Batman's home, as well. 

Which Batman? Well, despite Matt Reeves being attached as a producer and Clayface originally being eyed as an Elseworlds movie set in the same world as The Batman, it will be a DCU movie.

The hope is that the Caped Crusader might make a cameo appearance in this horror tale. While that's certainly possible, it seems we can well and truly forget about Robert Pattinson's Batman being folded into the DCU. As you can see below, the designs of the GCPD's vehicles don't match those seen in The Batman; that can always change in post-production, but it might be time to move on from this dream.

That aside, these images give us our first tantalising glimpse at what the DCU's Gotham will look like after a sign in Superman confirmed that it's just a short drive from Metropolis. 

"We've got Clayface, which is a totally different thing," Gunn said last month. "Although it's in the same universe, it's a complete horror film. That's one of the things we want to do; there's no company style."

"It's not like every movie is going to be like Superman. The artists, the directors and the writers, each one will bring their own sense to it," he continued. "That's what we want to bring to the films because we don't want people to get bored."

Clayface is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on September 11, 2026.