James Gunn's Batman Spin-off Movie Officially Abandons His #1 Superhero Strategy

James Gunn's new R-rated Batman film will have a different feel from his past movies, abandoning what is unquestionably his best superhero movie strategy. Now serving as DC Studios' co-CEO alongside Peter Safran, Gunn is known for his fun, wacky brand of filmmaking, as seen in his early tenure with DC and in his past projects with Marvel Studios, though he is no stranger to emotional moments either. Looking at his next project, however, things will be changed drastically.

DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are prepping for the release of their third movie in the new DC Universe, Clayface, on October 23. During DC Studios' part of Warner Bros.' CinemaCon 2026 presentation, Safran described the new movie as "a riveting horror thriller" that emphasizes the studio's interest in "character rather than genre." Though directed by James Watkins, Gunn is producing Clayface, having had a hand in its development from the start.

The Clayface footage shown at CinemaCon 2026 (later released as the film's first official trailer) revealed the franchise's shift to a full-blown horror story. Highlighting the body horror aspects of the movie, including Matt Hagen wiping his face off the front of his head at the end of the trailer, Gunn and Watkins will move away from the storytelling strategies that have made Gunn successful in the past. While this does not mean the film will be completely humor-free, it will not be a core focus for the story, leaning on the scary and dramatic aspects of the core adventure.

The DCU's first few projects have used comedy alongside other themes and genres, such as action, adventure, and sci-fi. This started with Creature Commandos in late 2024, which showed moments like Sean Gunn's Weasel licking himself and Alan Tudyk's Doctor Phosphorus (one of Tudyk's various DC roles) performing in a massive dance sequence during a flashback. Meanwhile, Superman had many of those same comedic elements, particularly from characters like Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner/Green Lantern. During Peacemaker Season 2, John Cena's Christopher Smith also used his dry sense of humor, as he has since his debut in The Suicide Squad.

Gunn's work on his first few DC projects, plus with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in the MCU, earned praise for its use of humor and epic action, a strategy that has been the director's greatest strength in his superhero releases. This made the Guardians trilogy some of the best-reviewed material in the MCU (along with the team's Disney+ holiday special). The same can be said of 2021's The Suicide Squad, Gunn's first DC movie, which was filled with dark humor from start to finish and earned rave reviews despite a dual theater/streaming release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clayface's Horror Genre Marks New Steps for DC Universe

Unlike the MCU, which was exclusively PG-13-rated for its first 15 years, the DC Universe is already exploring multiple themes, genres, and ratings in its first few projects. All three HBO Max projects confirmed for release thus far have been rated TV-MA, including the upcoming Lanterns show, and Clayface will be the franchise's first R-rated film after 2025's Superman and 2026's Supergirl.

This will also deliver a much different version of Clayface than fans have seen in recent years, after he became a key comedic figure in the animated Harley Quinn series on HBO Max. However, as that show waits to return, Alan Tudyk delivered a much scarier and serious Clayface in Creature Commandos, setting up the version of Clayface fans will see in his own solo movie.

While Clayface's future after his first movie is unknown, he is sure to be one of the scarier characters across the entire franchise. Fans expect him to continue bringing the same horror feel he delivers in his first DCU solo movie across other projects.