Mike Flanagan Replaced on ‘Clayface’ — New Writer Hired for Rewrites

Yesterday, James Gunn’s DCU had a bit of a setback when it got reported that Luca Guadagnino’s “Sgt. Rock” was no longer moving forward, at least for the time being.

Here’s The InSneider reporting that “Clayface” will now be going through a complete script overhaul. Reportedly, Mike Flanagan submitted a draft, but it was still in early form, as his focus has now shifted to his “Carrie” series for Prime Video.

A new writer has now been hired to replace Flanagan, but no name has been made public yet. It wouldn’t shock me if Flanagan doesn’t get a writing credit on this one as this new writer was seemingly tasked to produce a “page 1” rewrite.

It’s interesting, how yesterday, hidden deep inside their “Sgt. Rock” reports, the trades briefly mentioned the specific start date—October 1—for “Clayface,” clearly at DC’s direction. By that time, the studio will have seen how Superman performs at the box office. If it underwhelms, don’t be surprised if “Clayface” quietly gets shelved.

So, despite the numerous projects Gunn has announced for his DCU, you can’t really count on anything being locked in until it happens. As Sneider mentions, a follow-up like “Supergirl” makes sense if Superman is a hit, but launching more DCU projects before seeing the audience's reaction to “Superman” is a risky move.

I’ve been asking this question for a few months now, but here it goes again, what if “Superman” underperforms at the box-office this summer? Does Zaslav put the kibosh on Gunn’s entire DCU? It’s worth pondering through because nothing seems safe and locked in at the moment over at Warner Bros’ DCU.

At the moment, only “Superman,” and “Supergirl” have been shot. The other DCU projects, all currently in development, include “The Authority,” “Swamp Thing,” “Teen Titans,” and “The Brave and the Bold.”