If a good idea comes across James Gunn's desk at DC Studios, he'll take it seriously and, in some cases, greenlight it. Clayface's fast-moving development proves that nothing is off the table in the DC Universe, a mentality the DC Extended Universe should have adopted during its dark periods.
Superman will, of course, be the DCU's first big-screen project, bringing the Man of Steel back to live-action in style. Supergirl won't be far behind and will likely connect to the events of its predecessor in some way, shape, or form.
The next DCU movie on the release calendar is Clayface, scheduled for September 11, 2026. This project focuses on the origin story of a villain who doesn't yet have a hero to fight. Gunn doesn't seem worried about putting the cart before the horse, though, as horror expert Mike Flanagan is writing the project, and Speak No Evil's James Watkins is ready to sit in the director's chair.
Gunn is so confident in the project that he's ready to announce that it will likely have an R-rating (via DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast):
"I mean, it's not anything now, because the MPA has to watch it. But it's most likely rated R. It's pretty intense."
Hearing that a comic book project is going to be "intense" this long before release is a breath of fresh air.
Sometimes, there are whispers of a superhero movie or show veering into mature territory. However, it rarely comes to fruition because studios are afraid of alienating audiences and cutting box office returns at the knees.
It's a problem that the DCEU dealt with toward the end of its run, but had it stuck to its guns, the franchise could have turned out very differently.
The DCEU Played It Safe When It Didn't Have the Luxury
DC releasing rated R movies is nothing new. Both Joker movies, Suicide Squad movies, and Birds of Prey all have the distinction, as does Zack Snyder's Justice League.
It's hard to consider Snyder's magnum opus in the same category as the other films, though, because it was initially released on HBO Max rather than in theaters. That's important because DC's other R-rated movies take place in their own corners of the franchise and don't have a major impact on the main continuity.
There's another DC movie that almost had an R-rating, Black Adam, that feels a bit more connected to everything else in the DCEU. Characters from Peacemaker, Amanda Waller, and Superman all have cameos, and it also doesn't hurt the movie's credibility that Dwayne Johnson has top billing.
To make Black Adam more accessible, the powers that be toned down the violence during four rounds of cuts (via Variety). The final product is fine, containing a couple of memorable action sequences and character moments, but it's not enough to change the hierarchy of any universe.
Making Black Adam PG-13 probably put a few more butts in seats, which surely made the box office meetings less tense. However, taking a risk by releasing essentially the same movie, only with a few additional death scenes, could have helped it stand out in the superhero landscape at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was struggling (read more about how Marvel Studios is working to get its franchise back on track).
Three years later, Gunn is in the same boat as his predecessors, with the only difference being that he's ready to support his filmmakers and not tie their hands behind their backs. It remains to be seen if the strategy will pay off, but there's little doubt that Clayface will make more of an impact with an R-rating instead of a PG-13 one.
