First Look at James Gunn's Historic DC Villain Movie Set (Photos)

Fans got a historic first look at a new DC villain movie in production under DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. Gunn is in the early stages of releases for his Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, which includes villain-centric projects like Peacemaker Season 2. That trend of introducing villains in leading roles will only continue over the next few years, including one entry currently in the early stages of production.

The first set photos from DC Studios' Clayface movie were published online. While the Clayface movie was not part of Gunn's original long-term DC plans, it now sits as an important movie in the franchise's early slate of releases. Although there are no images of any of the film's A-list cast yet, early looks tease another strong effort from DC Studios on the big screen.

Shared by X user @TomMCJL, the first image shows off a white news van with "Gotham News 1" on the side, parked next to a classic Mercedes sedan on the Liverpool-based location storage set for Clayface. This teases the extent of Gotham's impact on the new DCU movie ahead of Batman's long-awaited introduction into the franchise. 

Elsewhere, fans can see an old and beat-up Chevrolet Camaro with rust building on the hood. The car has red flames painted on the hood and the side over a blue base on the back end.

A Gotham City Police Department police car gets a close-up shot in another image, giving fans a look at the police department's official logo. Officially established as a city in 1820, Gotham will be a pivotal locale across the rest of the DCU's future.

Another GCPD squad car is shown off at nighttime, as the photos showed the vehicle after it was driven into position on set for shooting.

Heavier machinery came into play in the last set of images, as more squad cars from the GCPD came into the open. One car was also driven onto some kind of lift, which might be on the back of a truck with other cars.

These images mark the first official look at the DCU's first villain-centric movie being released in theaters. It will be the third movie in the new DCU's slate, following Gunn's efforts on Superman from July 2025 and Craig Gillespie's work on Supergirl ahead of its June 2026 debut.

Clayface highlights a rising star in movies whose face winds up disfigured by a gangster, leading him to turn to a scientist for help before a horrible accident. Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan, the film currently stars Tom Rhys Davies and Naomi Ackie. Clayface is due to be released in theaters on September 11, 2026.

When To Expect More From DC Studios' Clayface

Considering how early DC Studios is into filming for Clayface, this villain-centric movie is sure to remain largely under wraps for the foreseeable future. Additionally, with only a couple of cast members confirmed for the DCU's first-ever R-rated theatrical movie, fans will be anxious to find out more about who will fill out the rest of the story's Gotham-based characters.

This film will be something vastly different from anything coming before it in the DCU, allowing Flanagan and Watkins to flex their creative muscles with an intriguing character. This movie may also open the door for other iconic villains to get the same treatment in later movies, as its director and writer hope to make Matt Hagen's story one that other DC properties can take inspiration from later.

As filming moves forward through the end of the year, fans will learn more details about other characters and plot points the story will explore, along with how it fits into the greater DC Universe and the Batman story being developed.

All things considered, looking at how impressed Gunn is with Flanagan's script for the DCU's first true horror outing, the sky seems to be the limit for what this character can bring to the equation.