When does ‘Clayface’ take place? James Gunn finally clarifies horror-thriller's DCU timeline question
In an interesting turn of events, new details about the upcoming 'Clayface' movie have been circulating. The upcoming DCU movie, starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen or the shapeshifting titular character, is scheduled to hit theatres on October 23. Ahead of the film's release, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn revealed where 'Clayface' sits in the new DC universe's timeline. A user on Threads posed Gunn the question, "Is clayface set before superman or after?" Gunn then went on to reveal, "Before. It's the first DCU film out of chronological order." Gunn's comment thus confirmed that the upcoming 'Clayface' movie is set before the events of the 2025 film 'Superman'.
In the absence of such a revelation, it would have been quite difficult to ascertain where exactly 'Clayface' belongs in the new DC Universe and the overall franchise. Armed with this knowledge, one can move on to address the second big question that naturally follows, i.e., is the Clayface seen on the 2024 animated TV series 'Creature Commandos' the same as the one in the upcoming movie? It is worth mentioning that the animated show was the first entry to be rolled out as the studio underwent a major creative overhaul. 'Creature Commandos' is set before 'Superman' as well, and it explains why Rick Flag Sr. appeared in a later role in Season 2 of 'Peacemaker'. The show has been renewed for a second season owing to its popularity.
Several DC characters appeared in 'Creature Commandos,' and the Studio hasn't exactly explained their origins or how they fit into the overall franchise. Clayface, therefore, isn't an exception. Given that the upcoming 'Clayface' movie serves as Hagen's origin story, it could very well suggest that the movie takes place well before the show. However, the surmise doesn't hold together when faced with the possibility that the 'Clayface' in 'Creature Commando' might not be the one played by Rhys Harries in the upcoming film. A good reason for this premise is that the movie wasn't even on the cards back when the HBO Max show was in development.
On the other hand, Gunn had explained in a BSky post from January, 2025 that the mud-monster-like creature seen in the animated series wasn't entirely dead, despite being electrofied, thus leaving the door open to another appearance. In conclusion, one might hope that Gunn would eventually clear the air about Clayface's connection with 'Creature Commandos'. The upcoming movie, described as a body-horror flick, is written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with James Watkins directing.
