After Supergirl flopped, Clayface may be the movie that saves James Gunn’s DCU

DC's been awash with James Gunn-led projects for what feels an eternity, and only now – after a few misfires – are we finally getting something with a bit of personality. The real pulse shift has come, not from flying capes or laser eyes, but from the recent double act: the TV series Lanterns and, more notably, Clayface.

DC Films: Power Struggles and Payoffs

Let’s wind back to this summer. Supergirl hit cinemas, but it barely made a splash. Reviews were lukewarm, box office receipts even chillier – it officially became the first proper DCU flop. If you were wondering why it felt a bit flavourless, you’re not alone. The story goes that a week after it opened, word leaked out that DC Studios yanked post-production out of Craig Gillespie’s hands. Apparently, what audiences saw wasn’t the director’s vision, but the studio’s re-edit – and yes, that does sound suspiciously like how Marvel likes to run things (director shepherds the film, but Feige & Co. have final say, for better or ill).

Supergirl struggled at the box office, marking the DCU’s first significant cinema dud.

Just to spell it out: these big studios keep hiring "visionary" directors, then panic and re-cut the films themselves the second market research looks wonky. It’s not a new habit, but it’s hardly thrilling if you care about films feeling, well, distinctive.

The Clayface Shift

Jump forward three months and Clayface lands – and suddenly people are actually excited. Reviewers are chanting about Tom Rhys Harries in the lead, the big scrap atop Vesuvius, and the fact that, unlike its predecessor, the film doesn’t feel like it’s been assembled from the leftovers of six other superhero flicks. That massive third-act confrontation? That’s director James Watkins flexing his horror muscles. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he laid out his approach:

Watkins, on his big creative push with the film: 'I kept talking about capturing the feeling of Robin Hood movies, or a film like El Cid, where they storm the castle. I also wanted to show Matt discovering and experiencing the dark glee that comes with his powers. He’s been on quite a tough ride to that point, and I wanted to give the audience permission to enjoy the payback.'

The backstory’s not without its drama. The whole thing started with Mike Flanagan’s script, which was apparently the spark that got DC to greenlight the project in the first place. Fans grumbled when Flanagan had to drop out due to scheduling, but, honestly, Watkins and Hossein Amini built it into something even sharper. That signature Vesuvius sequence? All theirs – and arguably the DCU’s standout film moment of the year. It speaks volumes that, for once, the studio left the creative types to get on with it, instead of sticking its oar in like it did with Supergirl.

Watkins’s horror credentials aren’t just for show – letting him steer the project turned out to be the smartest thing DC’s done in a while. The result is something that looks and feels nothing like the never-ending parade of cosmic wisecrackers and paint-by-numbers hero journeys we keep getting elsewhere. And that, shockingly, is what actually works at the box office and on screen.