The DC Universe has just promised me the exact kind of DC villain horror movie I first dreamt of – but thought was impossible – when I first started reading comics, and I still can barely believe it. The DC Universe release lineup balances a range of expected тιтles – with projects starring Superman, Supergirl and Batman all understandably on the initial Chapter 1 slate – alongside a notable collection of more eccentric and unusual upcoming DC releases. As such, underrated figures like Swamp Thing and The Authority are set to star in their own stories, making the path forward all the more fascinating as a result.

As someone who’s been a DC fan for many years now, the decision to make the DCU’s lineup a mix of major figures and more experimental fare has been a promising concept in terms of delving into corners of DC’s lore that haven’t been as explored on-screen – and especially not when it comes to live-action movies. This includes some of the darker corners of the comics that I fondly remember terrifying me when I first got into Batman all those years ago, making a specific kind of adaptation that seemed doomed to never happen something that’s now actually confirmed for release next year.

DC Has Always had The Perfect Potential For A Full Horror Movie Villain Adaptation

DC’s comic roster is full of a range of villains and antagonists that would seem almost custom-built for horror movies if they hadn’t instead been created to fill out the pages of superhero comics. Batman’s rogues gallery has the most well-known selection of these – with the likes of Scarecrow, Professor Pyg, and Victor Zsasz all having their own unique nightmare-inspiring schemes – but the Caped Crusader is by no means the only protagnist to have these kinds of characters in their stories, with major and minor heroes facing enemies who may as well have been taken out of a slasher story.

While releases have often veered into adapting these characters with the kind of harrowing intensity many of their comicbook storylines would warrant – evidenced perhaps best with the serial killer iteration of The Riddler in The Batman, or Heath Ledger’s unsettlingly realistic take on The Joker in The Dark Knight – the line has always been drawn at making these installments primarily an action movie, and naturally centered on whoever the central hero in question is. However, recent history has changed what seems possible for DC’s on-screen adaptations, especially with a new game-changer on the horizon.

Joker Is The Closest We’ve Gotten To This Unrealized DC Dream For Some Time Now

Joker‘s over $1 billion box office results meant that the villain-focused movie not only helped introduce the concept of a film starring a comicbook antagonist, but also proved a wildly successful example of how effectively this could capture the hearts, minds, and wallets of the general public. While Joker isn’t regarded as a horror movie, it certainly heads close to that territory throughout its run as it shows the steady progression of Arthur Fleck’s breakdown that eventually leads him to be the Clown Prince of Crime, and makes sure to focus on the nightmarish inevitability this origin story seems to have.

Focusing on one of the biggest supervillains of all time works here in the specific sense of capitalizing on the Joker’s long-lasting and remarkable popularity as a character, but it also serves to underline that there’s an entire world of story adaptations centered more on supervillains that has remained essentially untapped for the majority of DC’s considerable live-action film history. While the sequel certainly highlighted that not every supervillain movie will naturally see similar results, Joker does open a metaphorical door here – and one that DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have already set about capitalizing on.

James Gunn & Peter Safran’s Descriptions Of The DCU Clayface Movie Promise “An Incredible Body Horror Film”

The DCU’s Clayface movie was announced in December 2024 – news that I received with equal parts surprise and delight, particularly since its release was pretty quickly revealed to be set for the not-far-off window of 2026. However, the excitement definitely took over well and truly after the recent February 2025 DC event, wherein James Gunn and Peter Safran discussed a slew of upcoming DC releases, including some truly tantalizing comments about Clayface.

Safran began by revealing that Clayface will begin shooting this summer, describing the movie as “an incredible body horror film that reveals the compelling origin of a classic Batman villain.“ The co-CEO praised Mike Flanagan’s “exceptional screenplay” – stating that it was why they added it to the current DCU slate – and confirmed that DC is in negotiations with James Watkins to direct the installment. Safran also teased that, “Clayface may not be as widely known as the Penguin or the Joker, but we really feel that his story is equally resonant, compelling, and in many ways more terrifying than any of those.“

Gunn reinforced this, mentioning that he and Safran “would have died to have produced this movie” back when they were involved in other horror projects like The Belko Experiment, because “it was just a really excellent body horror script.“ Given Clayface’s shapeshifting powers, the potential for a full body horror movie is both rife and unexplored in DC’s live-action history, offering a premium opportunity for the promised upcoming R-rated story.

While Peter Safran is right in his reference to the fact that Clayface isn’t the most prominent DC villain of all time, a plot centered on a person who finds the nature of their being changed into a more monstrous form – and the psychological impact of that – is a really promising premise for the DCU’s flagship villain and horror movie. This sets up the DCU to further build on releases like Joker while also paving a path into something new – and something people like me who are both superhero and horror movie fans are likely to find the best of both worlds.

I’m So Excited To See What The DCU’s Clayface Movie Could Mean For The Franchise’s Future

While Clayface would be exciting even if it were confirmed to be a standalone Elseworlds release tied to nothing else – which is not the case for the DCU movie – what’s even more exciting is what it sets up for the potential future. One supervillain horror movie alone is a pretty eye-catching idea, but if the DCU is willing to explore Clayface’s story via a suitably gruesome-sounding body horror extravaganza, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why other villains whose stories are already in horror territory couldn’t get their own installments should Clayface itself prove a reasonable success.

Much as there is a comic for almost any kind of superhero fan, ensuring there is a balance of playful family-friendly installments and more intense offerings like R-rated horror films can help the DC Universe reflect the full range of tones that DC’s original source material holds. It also means every DC fan who ever read a comic, appreciated its villain, and dreamt of what could be in terms of an adaptation that seems promising but unlikely to ever happen now has the chance to see their previously impossible-seeming dreams realized – much as I think may well be the case for me when it comes to Clayface.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

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  Superman

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  July 11, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

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  June 26, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  
  October 1, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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