Shortly after news broke that it was green-lit, the DC Universe Clayface movie has officially garnered a release date. Clayface will hit theaters on September 11, 2026. Penned by Mike Flanagan and reportedly a deep passion project for this horror auteur, the motion picture will allegedly get a director and star very soon, as it aims to start shooting early in 2025. Clayface will give viewers their first glimpse of what the Gotham side of the DC Universe looks like, not to mention bringing this beloved gooey baddie to live-action theatrical movies for the very first time.
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However, there is one lingering question hovering over Clayface: What does this mean for The Batman Part II? This Matt Reeves directorial effort is scheduled for release just three weeks after Clayface, which seems like a small gap between features rooted in Gotham City mythology. Does Clayface arriving in September 2026 signal some kind of doomed trajectory for The Batman Part II? Or is this all just internet speculation making a mountain out of nothing?
It’s Rare For DC Projects to Debut So Close Together
It’s incredibly common for multiple live-action DC Comics movie adaptations to open in the same year. However, it’s very rare for them to debut within the same month. Back in 1997, Batman & Robin and Steel had two months separating their respective releases. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were unleashed a little over four months after each other. The closest proposed release dates between DC properties was the original summer 2021 launchpad for The Batman, set just six weeks before The Suicide Squad. COVID-19 would, of course, make sticking to that planned release schedule impossible.
Given the lack of precedent for this phenomenon, it only makes sense that The Batman Part II will eventually change its release date. Even though Clayface supposedly is being concocted as a low-budget horror movie in contrast to a massive action blockbuster, it’d still be too much to unleash two Gotham-set stories within a single four-week span. A release date adjustment seems inevitable for The Batman Part II … but does that suggest trouble is brewing for Reeves’ upcoming film, which has already spent almost three years in development?
Over the last few months, DC Studios head James Gunn has constantly said that he hasn’t seen a proper first draft of The Batman Part II, an odd reality for a feature that would have to start shooting by summer 2025 to make its October 2026 date. Meanwhile, recent news that The Batman leading man Robert Pattinson will appear in Christopher Nolan’s next movie inspired reports that The Batman Part II will not make its original early 2025 production start date. Even Pattinson has started joking about how long it’s taken to get the sequel off the ground.
[RELATED: Will DC Studios End The Batman Universe After Part 2?]
There’s also the fact that The Batman is firmly disconnected from Gunn’s planned DC Universe, inhabiting its own Elseworlds plane of existence. With DC Studios committed to Clayface and other Gotham-centric projects like The Brave and the Bold, does it make sense to have two concurrent properties exploring Batman on the big screen? The Batman’s days have always felt numbered ever since DC Studios was created … maybe Clayface’s release date just signals the inevitable finally happening.
Matt Reeves Always Takes His Sweet Time on The Batman Movies
While The Batman Part II hasn’t been rushed to the big screen, it’s worth remembering that the original Batman also was not a quickly-produced project. Reeves was first hired to direct The Batman in late February 2017, and went on radio silence regarding the feature for 18 months. When he finally publicly opined on the movie again in August 2018, it was perceived by the public as a reassuring surprise for a movie that seemed like it was possibly shelved for a good long while. Original plans to start filming in summer 2019 dissipated so Reeves could hone the script and casting.
Reeves took his time on The Batman, and he’s clearly doing the same here on The Batman Part II. Simultaneously, key creative personnel on the sequel have confirmed it’s moving forward, such as co-writer Mattson Tomlin recently announcing that Part II was still on track for a summer 2025 shoot. Reeves has also teased various fresh Batman villains that’ll appear in The Batman Part II, and that Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin will return for this sequel. Speaking of Oz, Reeves not flooding the internet with The Batman Part II updates was likely a way for The Penguin TV show to get a chance to establish its footing.
Combine all that with recent reports that casting is starting to get underway for The Batman Part II, and there’s really no reason to fret about this follow-up. The current lack of information just reflects Reeves’ unique creative process. Clayface dropping in mid-September 2026 suggests another release date move is on the horizon; however, there are currently no concrete indications that this version of the Batman lore is going away anytime soon.
