Ah. Mike Flanagan will no longer be making Clayface for Warner Bros and DC, as he leaves the film, and a rewrite is ordered.
From where we’re sitting at least, this is a bad news week for DC Studios. Not only has one of the fledgling studios’ most interesting projects been suspended this week (and perhaps cancelled), now another of the more interesting titles on its slate looks like its getting a complete overhaul.
Just yesterday we brought you the news that DC Studios’ Sgt. Rock project had been suspended – supposedly by ‘higher-ups’ according to some sources – meaning that this is a call that may have been made by those above James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-chiefs of Warner Bros’ comic book division.
That was something of a blow given that the project looked to combine an artistically-minded director with pulpy comic book material, a juxtaposition that would be sure to produce something outside of the boilerplate superhero formula we’re used to.
If that wasn’t grim enough, today brings more unwelcome news: according to The InSneider (via Dark Horizons), another of the studios more distinct projects is getting a major overhaul.
Mike Flanagan’s script for Clayface is reportedly getting a page one rewrite. Flanagan is a popular individual in the world of horror and pitched DC Studios on the idea on – in James Gunn’s own words – ‘a pure horror take’ on Batman’s shape-shifting nemesis.
While we don’t know much beyond that, we were certainly looking forward to finding out, even if Flanagan himself couldn’t direct the film due to commitments to other high-profile horror projects such as the Carrie TV series and the next sequel in The Exorcist series.
Instead, James Watkins – director of the Speak No Evil English language remake – will be helming the project, which according to The InSneider now has a new, unnamed writer on board with orders for a full ‘page 1’ rewrite.
Given that it was supposedly the strength of Flanagan’s script that convinced Gunn and Safran to move ahead with a Clayface film, we’re certainly hoping this report is wide of the mark. ApocHorseman, another industry insider has dismissed the report, claiming instead that it is simply director James Watkins taking a director’s pass at the script and not a full-on rewrite as The InSneider suggests.
We’re hoping the latter report is true, but if we do hear more on this one then we’ll absolutely let you know.
