Photos from the Liverpool set of DC Studios Clayface have revealed an upcoming scene will be shot at the Gotham carnival known as Amusement Mile. Aged poster props have teased a “Freakshow” featuring the “Penguin Man among other attractions at the carnival, giving the DCU’s Gotham a solid foundation that allows for many of Batman’s villains to have been active for years. Now, a new prop teases the potential for Batman’s first sidekick to appear in the DCU.
A new photo of the Amusement Mile set shows another aged poster for The Flying Graysons, a trio traveling acrobats including Dick Grayson, the first Robin.
Dick Grayson and The Flying Graysons have been teased on set of ‘CLAYFACE’.
The death of Dick’s parents, Jonathan and Mary Grayson, in a fall caused by a sabotaged rope, orphaned Dick and let to his adoption by Bruce Wayne. Soon after, Grayson became Robin and The Boy Wonder served as Batman’s sidekick for years. Grayson later joined the Teen Titans and, eventually, took on the identity of Nightwing after a falling out with Wayne.
Clayface will be filming a night shoot tonight in New Brighton!
In an interview with Howard Stern, Gunn confirmed that Man of Tomorrow will feature a Superman and Lex Luthor team up.
As part of Gunn’s announcement of the film, which took place across multiple social media platforms, artwork for the film was shared, including a piece from DC Comics’ legend Jim Lee. Fans immediately cleaned from the art that Man of Tomorrow would involve Luthor and Superman working together to take one a shared enemy. Gunn confirmed that, telling Stern that Man of Tomorrow is “a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.“
“It’s more complicated than that but that’s a big part of it,” continued Gunn. “It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I loved working with Nicholas Hoult. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I Just love the script so much.”
While fans believe that threat will be Brainiac, that’s yet to be confirmed; however, it may not be long before the villain of Man of Tomorrow is revealed as production is tentatively set to begin early next year.
“I am creating the Superman sequel that we’re starting to shoot in April or so,” Gunn told Stern. With principal photography only seven “or so” months away, casting for the film should begin relatively soon, giving some bread crumbs to those looking to deduce the film’s big bad.
While Clayface is one of Batman’s most interesting rogues, few would list him as one of the Dark Knight’s greatest baddies. However, it’s starting to look as though DC Studios’ upcoming horror movie, Clayface, will set the stage for–if not introduce–at least a few of Batman’s biggest big bads in the DCU.
With production on Clayface continuing in Liverpool, new photos from the set tease the very real possibility that Batman villains The Joker and The Penguin are already active within the DCU.
In the case of The Joker, it seems as though there is both a singular entity referred to as The Joker, who is leading a march against the corrupt Gotham City Police Department, and a gang who calls themselves The Jokers. Theories are already flying that The Jokers will turn out to be the DCU’s version of the Red Hood Gang, though there’s no good explanation for why they aren’t just called the Red Hood Gang.
In the case of The Penguin, the reference comes in the form of a poster for the Gotham carnival known as Amusement Mile. The poster, which invites people to “Behold” the “Penguin Man,” shares a wall with a “Freakshow” poster, insinuating that the character is one of the attractions.
Photos of props from the Liverpool set had already revealed that The Penguin’s club, The Iceberg Lounge, was among the key locations shown on a Gotham map; however, it’s unclear when Clayface is set, if some of these photos are from flashbacks or if The Penguin is already an established crime boss in the present of the DCU. Whatever the case, it seems as though Clayface might do a lot of the heavy lifting in establishing Gotham in the all-new DCU.
In September 2024, Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts landed the villainous role of Krem of the Yellow Hills in DC Studios’ Supergirl. The central antagonist of the celebrated 2021 DC comic book miniseries, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, upon which the upcoming film’s script was based, Krem was a ruthless, intergalactic outlaw whose monstrous actions propelled the entire story. Though certainly barbaric, Krem was otherwise a regular-looking, run-of-the-mill ginger alien. It sounds as though the villain will be radically changed for his DCU debut, however.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, who recently shared some positive feedback about the 2026 film, the DCU version of Krem “looks more like a monster” and “[carries] dead alien rats with him to eat.”
In our story, we have Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by incredibly loving parents. Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet and she lived there for the first fourteen years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more fucked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.
-James Gunn
While we’ll have to wait until seeing the film to discern whether or not the change to Krem makes much of a difference, making a villain a little more destestable is never a bad thing. Additionally, Krem isn’t exactly a household villain, which means the studio is unlikely to get too much pushback from lifelong Krem fans. DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn has described Supergirl as “a little more rock and roll” than Superman, which leaves some room for exploring the wilder side of the DCU, including Lobo, who will be played by Jason Momoa, who will be cosplaying as Jason Momoa.
Of Disney’s three major Summer theatrical releases, only one truly took charge at the box office. Even with a pair of critically acclaimed Marvel Studios projects opening on either side of it, it was Walt Disney Studios’ live-action Lilo & Stitch that took in the cash. The film’s $423.5M domestic box office total was nearly equal to the combined cash brought in by Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite each of those films being expected to factor heavily into the final phase of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga. But that’s the problem…or at least it’s one problem that is frequently cited on social media as folks explain why they have stopped watching Marvel Studios movies.
Setting aside the truth (people haven’t stopped watching them, though they’ve certainly quit watching them in theaters but that’s a different article for a different day), fans certainly didn’t NOT go to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps because it was too connected to prior projects and required too much homework. Kevin Feige made it clear ahead of the film’s release that “it is a no-homework-required movie. It literally is not connected to anything we’ve made before.” And even if that’s why they thought they didn’t go see it, it still made 1.3 times the amount of money at the box office that Thunderbolts*, a movie that did have connections to more previous MCU projects than any non-Avengers film before it. But did it really require a first-time audience member to watch each of the associated projects in order to enjoy or understand it?
The answer is a definitive no; however, a prevailing complaint about Thunderbolts* was that there were just too many characters and too many back stories to follow in order for a Marvel newbie–or oldie–to keep up. Unfortunately, that’s just nonsense and, ironically, Disney’s biggest box office success of the Summer provides a wonderful example of just how silly the Thunderbolts* narrative (that took over social media and message boards and became internet “fact”) truly is.
Lilo & Stitch may be a remake but before we begin, let’s reject the preposterous notion that “everyone” had seen the original or knew the story ahead of time, or, even if you refuse to do that, remember that the original animated film was also wildly successful when it was released in theaters in 2002.
And then realize that whichever of the two films you want to think about, audiences knew absolutely nothing about any of the characters and relied on exposition to learn what they needed to know. Stitch is an experiment gone wrong, but who are Jumba and Pleakley? There was no Jumba and Agent Pleakley D+ streaming series introduing the devious evil genius and the Earth expert, yet audiences, including young children, are completely capable of deducing what they need to know about them from what they learn in the film. Wondering about what happened to Lilo’s parents? You didn’t miss the prequel where one of Jumba’s prior experiments came to Earth and assassinated them. Wait…Cobra Bubbles is CIA or MIB? Nope, there was no Cobra Bubbles film or series. Audiences didn’t know the characters before they watched the film and things turned out wonderfully.
In the case of Thunderbolts*, a convincing argument could be made that having seen Black Widow would have added to the experience; however, it’s debatable if even that was necessary. Yelena is sad because her sister died. Do you need to know her sister was Natasha to understand that she’s sad? Alexi is unhappy. It’s obvious he and Yelena are family. Nothing he did in Black Widow matters in Thunderbolts*. Didn’t know he was a super soldier? Give him a minute and he’ll tell you.
Everything you needed to know about John Walker (dime store Captain America), Ghost a S.H.I.E.L.D. reject), Taskmaster (the dead one who destroyed half of Budapest) and even Val…all in the exposition provided mostly by Walker in the first act of the film. Bucky, obviously, provides a problem IF you need to understand every reference or need to know who the Winter Soldier is to enjoy the film. If you missed the exposition during the fight in Val’s O.X.E. stronghold where you SHOULD have learned everything you needed to know, give Alexi a minute and he’ll tell you what you need to know. They’re a bunch of people who have done bad things sometimes, but aren’t bad.
Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
Like Stitch, Bob is an experiment gone wrong and, like Stitch, his story requires and is given a fair bit of exposition. And in a wonderfully serendipitous moment, like Stitch, it’s Bob’s ohana, which he finds during the course of the film, that allows him to finally put the monster away and saves him from a terrible fate.
The similarities between Lilo & Stitch and Thunderbolts* run deeper than what’s been discussed here but they are both incredibly enjoyable films and if you can enjoy one, you can also enjoy the other…even if you don’t know anything about any of the characters before you sit down to watch.
Announced via social media on September 3, Man of Tomorrow will see Superman stars David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprise their respective roles and, it seems, team up against an as-yet-unrevealed threat. Though additional cast has not been officially revealed, Gunn teased that the film would feature characters from “within the group of characters we’ve already met,” leading to speculation that the Justice Gang might appear. Indeed, Isabel Merced teased that possibility shortly after Gunn‘s announcement, but Gunn has been tight-lipped about what other characters will appear in the film…until now.
In response to a question on Threads, Gunn confirmed that Rachel Brosnahan will return as Lois Lane for Man of Tomorrow in an “important role.”
Given the importance of her role in Superman and in the character’s long history in DC Comics, it’s unsurprising that Brosnahan will return for Man of Tomorrow; in fact, it’s likely she’ll be a key player in the entire Superman Saga and, perhaps, play a role in the larger, overall narrative of the DCU.
As was the case with Superman, which saw Cleveland become Metropolis, DC Studios is taking great care to make sure its Gotham is FULL of Easter eggs, nods and comic accurate inclusions when it is introduced in Clayface.
Recently, a map of Gotham City was spotted on set, complete with key locations such as Wayne Manor, Ace Chemical, The Monarch Theater, Crime Alley, Arkham and the Kane Memorial Bridge. While it’s unclear if those or any of the locations spotted on the map will factor into the plot of Clayface, it’s the kind of world building necessary to sustain what DC Studios hopes is a long-running narrative in its new, interconnected universe.
As great as it is to see some of Gotham’s most important settings show up on a map, an empty alley or asylum won’t keep Bruce Wayne up at night…but baddies do. And a new prop spotted on the Liverpool set of Clayface confirms that at least one other classic Batman villain has a footprint in Gotham.
Sionis Industries sign on the set of Clayface. The company owned by Roman Sionis, Black Mask.
While there’s no indication as yet he’ll appear in the film, a new BTS Photo Confirms that crime king Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask, is active in the all-new, all-different DCU.
Introduced into DC Comics continuity relatively recently in 1985, Sionis has grown incredibly popular over the years. The villain appeared in the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, the CW’s Batwoman and in Birds of Prey, where he was portrayed by Ewan McGregor.
As established in Creature Commandos and Superman, heroes and villains are already deeply established in the DCU and with Gotham having no shortage of baddies, it’s unsurprising to see a Sionis Easter egg; however, given the connection between Matt Hagen’s transformation to Clayface and Gotham’s criminal underworld (and the idea that the film’s villain is still unknown), it’s possible Black Mask may make yet another live-action appearance.
DC Studios first animated feature film, Dynamic Duo, is getting a major overhaul by an Academy Award-nominated pair of writers.
According to The Wrap, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the writing team behind 500 Days of Summer, The Disaster Artist and DaisyJones & the Six, have come on board to rewrite the project, which is currently set to hit theaters on June 30, 2028.
According to The Wrap, Dynamic Duo, which will be directed by Arthur Mintz, will “take place in a separate timeline from his films starring Robert Pattinson and, as we understand it, outside of the current DC Universe canon,” which would then establish it as an “Elseworlds” project.
Originally penned by Coco and Lightyear scribe Matthew Aldrich, Dynamic Duo will tell the story of “the early days of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd aka the Robins. The duo call themselves the Dynamic Duo. They’re orphan thieves, best friends who share dreams of a better life, but their friendship will be tested by competing visions of a future out of which will come a new Dynamic Duo.“
DC Studios will be working with Swaybox, a new and innovative animation studio that uses a “Momo animation” process that Deadline described as “a cross between CGI animation, practical elements of stop-motion, and live-action real-time performance.”
Less than a year into its existence, the all-new, all-different DCU has already gone and developed a particularly bad case of canon-itis. While it should be simple given only Creature Commandos, Superman and Season 2 of Peacemaker have been produced as part of the DC Studios’ slate, references in those projects have canonized projects made prior to the DCU’s inception.
In a 2024 interview, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn–who created each of the DCU’s first three projects–muddied the timeline waters of the all-new DCU by explaining that the events of a pair of projects he created as part of the now defunct DCEU would be considered canon to the new connected universe…kind of.
“Now in Creature Commandos, you’ll hear them talk about things that happened in The Suicide Squad or Peacemaker. Well then, those things automatically become canon,” said Gunn, before explaining that his previous statement was only mostly true.”The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker.”
The appearance of the Justice League was indeed dealt with in the next season of Peacemaker, or rather before it ever began. During a “Previously in the DCU” opening ahead of Peacemaker‘s Season 2 premiere, the Justice League was replaced with the Justice Gang plus two (Superman and Supergirl). Without further explanation, Gunn added that the events of Peacemaker Season 1 took place before the events of Superman and that while Superman and Supergirl were not part of the Gang, the Man of Steel and his Kryptonian cousin has been able to “team up with them a lot like they did in Superman.” And in light of a recent timeline cue, that is interesting indeed.
Only CC forward is pure canon; Peacemaker is almost entirely consistent with that canon other than the Justice League; The Suicide Squad has a lot of consistencies but I think of it as an imperfect memory.
-James Gunn
The truth is that canon doesn’t matter…until, of course, it does..and at some point, it might. And so while the entirety of The Suicide Squad is not canon, parts of it certainly are. In both Creature Commandos and Season 2 of Peacemaker, the death of Rick Flag Jr. at the hands of Christopher Smith during the mission to Corto Maltese has been addressed, meeting Gunn’s admittedly arbitrary and amorphous canon guidelines.
“For instance, Rick Flag Jr was killed because we heard Rick Flag Sr talking about it in Creature Commandos, not because we saw it in The Suicide Squad,” Gunn explained. And now, it’s clear why Jr.’s death has to mentioned: it had to matter.
The latest episode of Peacemaker, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve,” saw Joel Kinnaman back in the role of Flag Jr., kind of. As part of Peacemaker’s dimension hopping adventure, the character has found himself in an alternate timeline where a romance with Emilia Harcourt could be in the cards should she chose to leave an established relationship with a very different Flag. That’s all very interesting and will certainly matter eventually, but it was Kinnaman’s brief appearance as the OTHER Flag that set an important point on the DCU’s developing timeline.
In a flashback scene featuring Harcourt and the now-dead Flag, it was established that the mission to Corto Maltese took place three years ago. And because canon only matters when it matters, that matters because it coincides with Kal-El announced himself as Superman…and may well have put a target on his back.
In The Suicide Squad–which is, of course, not canon except for the parts that are–it is established that Idris Elba‘s Robert DuBois, aka Bloodsport, finds himself in Belle Reve after having taking his shot at Superman with a Kryptonite bullet.
Gunn has claimed that he’s “always looking for a place to put Bloodsport,” and the timeline tidbit in the latest episode of Peacemaker might have made that possible. Fans had previously expressed uncertainty about how Bloodsport’s attack on Superman could be reconciled within the DCU and Gunn looks to have addressed that by setting The Suicide Squad and Superman in the same year.
Superman reveals that Lex Luthor was well aware of Kryptonite and its effects on Kryptonians but Rick Flag Sr. also mentions that “there’s none left on the planet.” Without thinking too hard, it certainly does not mean there was none three years earlier, meaning–if Gunn chooses to make it so–Bloodsport’s attempted hit on Superman could become one of those things we hear talked about in Peacemaker, thus canonizing it into the DCU and allowing Elba to step back into the role.
With Gunn having written both Peacemaker and Superman, it seems highly unlikely that the three year span since Superman became active coincidentally intersects so neatly with the time since the mission on Corto Maltese. Indeed, given that Gunn was working on both projects simultaneously, it seems rather intentional. Perhaps Elba will be one of the big surprises Gunn has been hyping; perhaps he’s not involved at all. However, the tiny timeline tidbit has provided all the opportunity necessary to get Elba‘s Bloodsport, a character who first appeared in a Superman comic, back in the game.
To date, there’s been no official word from Marvel or Sony and Ruffalo was not seen on set in Glasgow, Scotland when the film began production. With production having moved mostly indoors, it’s possible Ruffalo may never be seen “on set” to confirm his role but the actor was asked about the rumors in a recent red carpet interview with ET Online.
“I don’t know, I’m still waiting to hear. I haven’t read a script yet,” said Ruffalo when he was approached about his return to the role.
“If it does happen, it would be incredible,” laughed the star. “I grew up with this, and it’s changed my life in the best ways. Each time, it’s a new director, a new world, and it’s so exciting. There’s nothing else like it. A TV show doesn’t change its world from one director to the next, and that’s what is exciting.“
Based on what’s been seen and shared so far, Tom Holland and new Spidey franchise director Destin Daniel Cretton seem to have something special cooking in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which looks to diverge significantly from the previous MCU-set Spider-Man films. Adding a rampaging Hulk to the already long list of problems Holland’s Wall-Crawler will face in the film might make for one of the Multiverse Saga’s best projects, if not one of its most action-packed.
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