MIDNIGHT MASS Director Mike Flanagan Pitched a CLAYFACE Movie to DC but "They Didn't Bite"
Clayface is one of the great Batman villains, and I’ve always wanted to see him brought to life in a live-action movie. I love how Batman: The Animated Series handled the character, but I would love to see what director Mike Flanagan would do with him in a movie!
Flanagan is the director of Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House, and Midnight Mass, and earlier this year he shared that he would be “really keen to do a standalone Clayface movie as a horror/thriller/tragedy.”
Well, it turns out he actually pitched this idea to Warner Bros. and DC! Unfortunately, they weren’t interested. Flanagan was asked about the project on Twitter, and he shared, "They didn't bite on that one. Though I'm ready to go anytime."
That sucks. I think Flanagan would deliver a hell of a great Clayface movie! Clayface has such a interesting story to explore.
For those of you who need a reminder, in the comics, Clayface’s real name is Basil Karlo, “an actor who upon discovering that a remake of one of his classic horror movies was being made went insane and began killing the cast and crew, wearing the mask of the film's villain Clayface, until stopped by Batman. Initially having no superpowers, Karlo joined with a group of other ‘Clayfaces’ and stole their combined powers, allowing him to shapeshift into any forms he wants.”
In Batman: The Animated Series he went by the name of Matt Hagen, “an actor working for Imperial Pictures, once called ‘The Man of a million faces’, but he had been disfigured in a terrible car accident. While recovering in a burn clinic, he was approached by the corrupt industrialist Roland Daggett, who made him a test subject for a compound called ‘Renuyu’ that he promised would immediately restore his young good looks. In payment, Hagen impersonated people in an illegal manner for Daggett. Hagen greatly resented this, but was forced to comply, as the Renuyu chemical was extremely addictive and Daggett was the sole producer.”
Maybe one day WB will finally wake up and let Flanagan make his Clayface film.