Peter Safran Confirms the DCU’s Batman Is Already Patrolling Gotham During ‘Clayface’

Gotham City has always been Batman’s backyard, so it is hard to imagine a story set there without the Dark Knight lurking nearby. That tension has hung over ‘Clayface‘ since DC Studios first announced its R-rated body horror experiment. Now one of the studio’s bosses has addressed it directly, and the answer says a lot about how the DCU’s Batman fits into the picture.

The film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood actor whose life collapses into something monstrous. James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with Flanagan’s love of the ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ episode ‘Feat of Clay’ serving as the original spark. It opens in theaters this Friday, October 23.

With the release just days away, the burning question has been whether fans should picture Batman out there somewhere while Hagen’s nightmare plays out. DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran has now said yes. In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Safran described the film as Collider reported, “the first step into the world of Gotham,” and confirmed that Batman is already operating in Gotham during the events of the movie.

That confirmation does not mean the caped crusader will swing into frame. The film does not feature Batman, who remains uncast in the DCU, and reports from early screenings suggest he stays off screen entirely. The role is tied to ‘The Brave and the Bold’, the planned DCU Batman project, which still lacks a finalized script.

The timeline helps explain the setup. ‘Clayface’ takes place before the first season of ‘Creature Commandos’, which had already established that Batman is active in Gotham. Safran has also told Entertainment Weekly that Harries is playing the same Clayface who appeared in that animated series, only earlier in his story.

None of this touches Robert Pattinson’s version of the character. Gunn and Safran have said ‘Clayface’ belongs in the DCU rather than in Matt Reeves’ more grounded Batman saga, and Pattinson’s Dark Knight remains in a separate universe. Reeves’ ‘The Batman Part II’ is not due until October 1, 2027.

Watch the first trailer for #Clayface. The new DC horror film is in theaters October 23. https://t.co/gqrrtJSou5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) April 22, 2026

The studio has been consistent about what kind of film this is. Safran has compared it to a Cronenberg-style body horror picture, while James Gunn has said it is meant to work as a pure horror movie for someone who does not care about DC at all. Watkins has added that Gunn and Safran gave him no mandates for how to reinvent Gotham.

Early reactions suggest that approach landed. Collider’s Weintraub called the film “fantastic” and praised how accessible it is to viewers with no previous DC knowledge, while others have described it as ‘Joker’ meets ‘The Substance’. That makes it an easy Halloween-week pick for horror fans who have never touched a comic book.

It also explains why the Batman question feels so loaded. For a universe still building its foundations, a standalone chiller set in Gotham offers a quiet way to establish the city without leaning on its hero.

The film arrives with real commercial pressure behind it. Tracking has pointed to an opening of roughly $20 million to $29 million, and one report found pre-sales lagging well behind ‘Supergirl’ at the same point before release. With a reported $40 million budget and an estimated $30 million in marketing, ‘Clayface’ would need roughly $100 million to break even.

Those numbers matter because the DCU’s early run has been uneven. ‘Supergirl’ finished with $126 million worldwide against a reported $170 million budget, and ‘Superman’ earned $618 million, less than ‘Man of Steel’ made in 2013. Strong reviews and Halloween word of mouth could change the picture, but DC Studios has little room for another stumble.

Whatever the opening weekend brings, Safran’s comment gives fans something concrete to chew on. Batman is out there, and a movie about one of his best-known villains has been built around the idea that he is not the focus.

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