Culture 2 min read By Lauren Baxter
Director James Watkins explains how Clayface introduces Gotham City to the DC Universe
Clayface director James Watkins discusses bringing Gotham City into James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe through a body horror story full of shape-shifting kills.
Director James Watkins has explained how his R-rated horror film Clayface gives audiences their first glimpse of Gotham City in the rebooted DC Universe, even though the movie stands apart from the Batman saga being developed by Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson. The film is now playing in theaters.
Clayface is a body horror story that follows a shape-shifting character whose transformations drive the film's violence. Watkins has described the picture as a standalone effort that nonetheless expands the wider DC Universe overseen by James Gunn, offering a version of Gotham that feels distinct from the one audiences will see in the Caped Crusader films.
The shape-shifting premise is the engine of the film's kills, with the title character's ability to take on other forms allowing the story to stage its gruesome set pieces in unexpected ways. The film's approach leans into the genre's physical horror, using the creature's malleable body to build a steady escalation of danger.
Coverage of the film notes that Clayface operates mostly as a self-contained story rather than a direct setup for the next Batman installment. Even so, its depiction of Gotham gives the franchise a new setting to build on, and the film was conceived to widen the scope of the DC Universe rather than simply sit beside it.
A spoiler-flagged cameo in the film has drawn attention, but the available reporting does not confirm the identity of the performer or the character, so details of that appearance are not included here. Fans hoping for a clear link to the Batman films will have to wait for future projects to confirm how the Clayface version of Gotham fits into the larger continuity.
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