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Mike Flanagan says he hasn't seen DC's Clayface film he co-wrote

Mike Flanagan, co-writer of DC Studios' "Clayface", told Comic Book Movie he has not seen the film, calling it director James Watkins' movie. It opens in theaters on October 23, 2026.

2 outlets · 0L · 2C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: /Film
Image: Screen Rant

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 2Mike Flanagan, who shares writing credit on DC Studios' "Clayface", said in an interview with Comic Book Movie that he has not seen the finished film. Centre · 2Flanagan described the film as director James Watkins' work, saying "Clayface" "very much is not mine" and that he is excited to see what Watkins made. Centre · 2The script is credited to Flanagan and Hossein Amini, who rewrote Flanagan's screenplay.

Centre · 2The R-rated horror film stars Tom Rhys Harries as actor Matt Hagen, who turns into the shapeshifting monster after an experimental treatment for his disfigurement; Naomi Ackie plays Dr. Caitlyn Corr. It opens in theaters on October 23, 2026. Centre · 1The project began as Flanagan's pitch to James Gunn and Peter Safran, reported by Deadline in 2023, and was announced in 2024 as part of the DC Universe's first chapter, "Gods and Monsters". Flanagan could not direct because of commitments to a new "Exorcist" film and the "Carrie" series, and Watkins was hired. Centre · 2In the same interview Flanagan said he approached "Clayface" differently from "Carrie" because the character had never been a feature-film lead, so it felt "wide open".

Centre · 1At a 2025 Motor City Comic Con panel, Flanagan said it was "one of the great kind of sadnesses of my career" that he wasn't available to direct. Centre · 2Gunn recently said on Threads that the film was in the DC Universe "from the first draft", rather than set in Matt Reeves' Batman universe as some early reports suggested.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets report Flanagan's comments as a clarification of his limited role. /Film adds speculation about his feelings and scepticism about the film; Screen Rant is promotional and informational.
Emphasis
/Film: Flanagan's origination of the project and his distance from it. Screen Rant: the film's R rating, DCU context, and release schedule.
Leaves out or plays down
Screen Rant omits Flanagan's earlier disappointment about not directing; /Film omits Gunn's Threads clarification.
Charged language
“Bluntly Clarifies”“This was my baby and they took it”“box office failure”“Morbius”
For example
“That's about as close as Flanagan could come to saying, "This was my baby and they took it" without actually saying it.” — /Film
“Mike Flanagan Bluntly Clarifies Ties To DC's New R-Rated Batman Movie” — Screen Rant

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.