In an interview with CBS Mornings, “Superman” director James Gunn discussed his vision for the DC Comics Universe… which is truly less a singular vision and more an overarching investment in creativity. With a diverse slate of characters — that beyond Clark Kent’s alter ego also of course includes Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern — Gunn explained that a uniform style cannot be dictated from movie to movie. He used as an example Clayface, a Batman villain that is set for his own feature with a Mike Flanagan-penned script and directed by “Speak No Evil” filmmaker James Watkins.
“We’ve got Clayface, which is a totally different thing,” Gunn said (via ScreenRant). “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 not a 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… That’s what we want to bring to the films because we don’t want people to get bored. We want to invigorate people.”
“Clayface” is expected in theaters on September 11, 2026. Clayface’s nemesis Batman, meanwhile, is likely to next appear in Matt Reeves’ follow-up to 2022’s “The Batman.” “Listen, we’re supposed to get a script in June,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly in February. “I hope that happens. We feel really good about it. Matt’s excited. I talk to Matt all the time. I’m totally excited about it. So we can’t wait to read the scripts, but we haven’t read it yet, if that’s your question.”
Indeed, Reeves delivered that script in June, right on schedule, and the sequel is currently scheduled for an October 1, 2027, release date.
Next up in the DCU will be “Supergirl,” which was teed up at the end of “Superman” and will hit theaters June 26, 2026. The titular character is portrayed by Milly Alcock. In May, the actress told IndieWire that she hadn’t received any advice from anyone on stepping into the iconic role — first played on screen by Helen Slater — though she did ask.
“They were just like, ‘Prepare to be bruised, there will be battle scars, and you’ll be proud of them.’ That definitely happened,” she said.