It’s finally James Watkins (“Speak No Evil”) who will helm “Clayface” (via THR). Cronenberg would have had a field day with this material, but I doubt his name even crossed James Gunn’s mind during the hiring process.
EARLIER: Turns out Deadline had it wrong. Wadlow isn’t in contention for “Clayface. THR does however confirm Watkins’ meeting with Gunn, and that J.A. Bayona (“Society of Snow”) is another name that might be in the mix.
“Clayface” was written by Mike Flanagan, but he can’t direct the project since he’s busy with “Carrie” and ‘Exorcist’ reboots. Flanagan’s script, described as a Hollywood horror story, follows a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant — didn’t Coralie Fargeat already make this film?
The budget for “Clayface” is a very modest $40M. Casting is currently underway, and they’ll have to start attaching some names to this one since production is supposed to begin in the fall.
EARLIER: As “Clayface,” set for 09.11.26 release, is being fast-tracked at the DCU, Deadline has an update regarding who might helm the Mike Flanagan penned project, and it’s not necessarily who fans had been vouching for.
“Clayface” has become one of the prime opening directing assignments in Hollywood, and it’s being reported the DC brass will be hearing pitches from potential filmmakers next week; the key candidates seem to be Jeff Waldow (“Truth or Dare”) and James Watkins (“Speak No Evil”).
I expected bigger names. Gunn has already hired a handful of nifty A-list filmmakers to helm some of the upcoming films in his DCU, including himself (“Superman”), Luca Guadagnino (“Sgt. Rock”), and James Mangold (“Swamp Thing”).
Wadlow is an especially odd contender; his filmography is filled with only mediocre movies (“Imaginary,” “Bloodshot,” “Fantasy Island,” “Truth or Dare,” “Cry Wolf,” “Never Back Down”). At least Watkins got strong reviews for last year’s “Speak No Evil” remake, and helmed 2012’s underrated goth-horror “The Woman in Black.”