James Gunn Confirms When Clayface Is Set in the DC Universe Timeline, as Fans Wonder Whether Batman Will Turn Up

DC Universe main James Gunn has confirmed that upcoming movie Clayface, which conscionable received its debut trailer, is acceptable earlier past year’s Superman.

While Superman kickstarted the rebooted DCU past summer, this summer’s Supergirl volition proceed it, and adjacent year’s Man of Tomorrow volition enactment arsenic a Superman sequel, Clayface is acceptable earlier them each — contempt coming retired this September.

In a bid of posts connected threads, Gunn made Clayface’s spot connected the DCU timeline clear. “Before,” helium said, erstwhile asked if it was acceptable earlier oregon aft Superman. “It's the archetypal DCU movie retired of chronological order." Presumably, this means that during the events of Clayface, Superman villain Lex Luthor is retired doing his thing, and Superman has yet to find retired the information down his spot connected Earth.

Gunn went connected to connection a fewer much tidbits connected what Clayface is trying to achieve, and what it mightiness mean for the DCU. "It's precise connected,” helium said of Clayface’s relation successful the larger DCU plan, “but arsenic ever the standalone communicative is what's astir important."

Clayface is precise antithetic to immoderate DCU task we person seen oregon we cognize to beryllium successful the works. It’s a assemblage fearfulness movie based astir a classical Batman villain, and, if you’ve seen the debut trailer, you’ll cognize it’s doubling down connected the assemblage horror.

The DCU volition see much films of antithetic genres arsenic good arsenic modular superhero fare, Gunn explained.

“From the commencement we've been wide the DCU would beryllium interconnected but each task would beryllium afloat expressions of their writers and directors (similar to however DC Comics enactment - 'Saga of the Swamp Thing', 'Justice League International', 'Killing Joke', & 'All-Star Squadron' are not 1 tone, and neither are Superman, Lanterns, Peacemaker, & Clayface),” helium said. “The movie oregon amusement volition play successful immoderate genre suits the communicative best. Clayface is not a 'hybrid superhero fearfulness film', it is simply a fearfulness film."

The large question is, volition Batman look successful the Gotham-set Clayface? It seems unlikely, fixed Gunn has yet to bespeak he’s remotely adjacent to sorting retired his plans for the troublesome The Brave and the Bold. Gunn indispensable navigate adjacent year’s merchandise of The Batman 2 and perchance The Batman 3, which beryllium successful a beingness abstracted to the ongoing DCU, portion mounting retired plans to present Batman into his universe.

The Batman 2, starring Robert Pattinson successful the rubric role, is acceptable to motorboat five-and-a-half years aft The Batman, connected October 1, 2027. Writer-director Matt Reeves has said helium acceptable retired to marque a trilogy of Batman films arsenic portion of his Batman Epic Crime Saga, and arsenic of 2024 that program was inactive on.

Since Gunn has ruled retired Pattinson’s Batman crossing implicit into the DCU, we’re acceptable for a caller histrion to play the Caped Crusader for The Brave and the Bold. Gunn has suggested fans won’t get an update connected The Brave and the Bold until aft The Batman 2 comes out, truthful we’re astir apt looking astatine 2028 astatine the earliest for news. “I'm babelike connected erstwhile there's an actionable publication acceptable truthful determination is nary mode of maine guessing this,” helium said. “Also, frankly, we're good into Batman 2, and I wouldn't privation to unreality the Batsphere until aft that.”

Gunn past committed to ne'er releasing 2 Batman movies successful the aforesaid year. “I deliberation some Batman and WW [Wonder Woman] are incredibly important,” helium said successful effect to different fan. “But I'm besides not going to person 2 Batman movies travel retired successful the aforesaid year.”

While promoting Superman past year, Gunn admitted "Batman's my biggest contented successful each of DC close now." While fans hold for The Brave and the Bold to spot Gunn's Batman successful each his glory, Episode 6 of DCU canon animated amusement Creature Commandos showed Batman lasting connected a rooftop looking down astatine transgression brag Doctor Phosphorus. The representation beneath revealed a mega-stacked Caped Crusader successful his iconic costume, but determination was small other that could beryllium discerned astir Gunn’s instrumentality connected the superhero.

Batman successful Creature Commandos. Image credit: HBO Max.

Based connected comments Gunn issued to Rotten Tomatoes TV pursuing the merchandise of Episode 6, it’s casual to spot wherefore this little look astatine Batman was truthful generic. Gunn said helium had asked for "more silhouette" aft the archetypal Batman connected amusement was much elaborate than helium was acceptable to perpetrate to astatine the time.

What this look astatine Batman did supply fans with, Gunn explained, was a wide denotation that Batman not lone already exists wrong the DCU during the events of Creature Commandos and Superman (and, presumably, Clayface), but that helium is well-known wrong the universe, and that’s wherefore there’s nary request to archer his well-documented root story.

Gunn past made an absorbing remark that suggested the DCU Batman volition squad up with Superman astatine immoderate point.

“This is the DCU Batman,” helium said of the Creature Commandos cameo. “Listen I gotta archer you, I conscionable emotion Batman. I emotion him. I've loved him since I was a small kid. He's 1 of my favourite characters. I've gone connected the grounds successful the past erstwhile I was astatine Marvel saying my favourite quality is Batman. I emotion him and we're going to bash large things with him. He's the astir fashionable superhero successful the satellite and I can't hold for radical to spot much of him, on with Superman, and together.”

Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].