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The Clayface movie pitch made DC Studios' boss James Gunn squeamish... and that's a good thing
At SDCC 2026, the Clayface director revealed that James Gunn had to look away from some of the reference images he included in his pitch.
Popverse's coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you by Dark Horse Comics.
At its core, Clayface has always been a body horror story wrapped up in all the superhero trappings of Batman comics. The early trailers we’ve seen for the upcoming movie certainly feel like it is leaning heavily into that angle – so much so that it made DC Studios head James Gunn squeamish when Clayface director James Watkins put together his pitch for the film.
During the Jim Lee and Friends panel at San Diego Comic Con 2026, which covered everything from comics to animation to films based in the DC universe, James Watkins came on stage to talk about the highly anticipated movie. According to Watkins, DC Studios head James Gunn had to look away from the imagery that he put together for the film. However, that’s kind of the reaction he was hoping for.
“When I first spoke about how I wanted to do this with James [Gunn], with Peter [Safran], with everybody,” Watkins told the audience. “I kind of gave, ‘This is my vision of it. This is what I want it to be.’ I remember I put together a whole thing; there was lots of references, some really icky reference stuff. And James kind of turned away and looked away, and I realized he’s actually quite squeamish, James Gunn.”
With a body horror film like Clayface, though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “He was like, ‘Ugh…’ and I’m like, ‘Are you okay?’ and he goes, “No, it’s great!’”
Hopefully we’re not all as squeamish as James Gunn when Clayface hits cinemas on October 23, 2026.
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About Comic-Con International: San Diego
Comic-Con is the premier event for all things comics and related popular art, including movies, television, gaming, interactive multimedia, and so much more! Enjoy cosplay galore and take part in unique programming, exclusive previews, and presentations, not to mention the expansive and diverse Exhibit Hall featuring merchandise and displays representing all fandoms.
Dates
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Location
San Diego, California
USA
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