CLAYFACE Director Explains How Mike Flanagan's Original Vision Was Changed and Why Matt Hagen Isn't an Anti-Hero

Clayface started as a passion project forMike Flanagan, one of the best horror filmmakers working today, but the movie went through some changes after James Watkins took over directing duties.

Now, Watkins is opening up about how the original script evolved and clearing up whether Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen is actually a villain or something closer to an anti-hero.

Flanagan originally developed Clayface with the possibility of directing it himself, and the film was initially envisioned as part of Matt Reeves' Batman universe. However, DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran ultimately brought the project into the DCU.

With Flanagan busy working on his adaptation of Carrie, Watkins, who directed Speak No Evil, stepped in alongside 47 Ronin screenwriter Hossein Amini to move the project forward.

Flanagan recently revealed that he hadn't seen the finished movie and suggested that Clayface no longer felt like his project. Naturally, that raised questions about how much of his original vision survived.

Speaking with ScreenRant, Watkins explained that Flanagan's original story remained the foundation of the film. "The bones of Mike’s script obviously were the reason why I wanted to do the project."

He continued, "He wrote this kind of—I thought it was the tragedy, I guess, the arc of Matt Hagen and the relationship with Caitlin and the idea of how this man becomes a monster. So really, that didn’t change."

Watkins explained that most of the changes came from refining the characters and adjusting certain elements throughout production.

"It was more like how to finesse elements within it. And that always naturally happens when you’re developing a project. You learn stuff talking to the actors, things change in shooting, things often change in post. So it was just trying to find the kind of—lean into some of the areas."

One of the biggest priorities for Watkins and Amini was making sure audiences could connect with Matt Hagen before his transformation into the monstrous Batman villain.

"We leaned into a couple of things, for example, with Matt. I wanted to make sure that it was very clear, in terms of him being really relatable up front, that this wasn’t just a story of vanity. [It was] little things like that. So it was just little calibrations all the way along the journey."

That approach makes sense considering the story follows an actor who loses everything after his face is horribly disfigured. There's a lot more to explore with that character than someone simply being obsessed with his appearance.

Watkins also revealed that when he first became involved, the movie's place within DC continuity wasn't entirely clear.

"I mean, what was interesting is it came to me as this sort of [unclear] script and standalone. One of the things that appealed to me is that you don’t have to have a doctorate in DC studies to go and watch this movie. Anyone can go in, right?"

That's an interesting detail, especially since Gunn has previously maintained that Clayface was always intended to be part of the DCU. Regardless of how those discussions played out, Watkins wanted to make a movie that audiences could enjoy without needing to follow every other DC project.

As for Matt Hagen himself, there has been some speculation that the film might portray him as an anti-hero rather than a traditional villain, particularly after a recent synopsis emphasized the tragic circumstances surrounding his transformation.

Watkins made it clear that isn't how he sees the character: "I don’t view him as an anti-hero. Me, Tom, I think he’s ultimately a villain. But then you kind of track someone’s journey and hopefully feel empathy and justification for his actions—to a point."

That's exactly the kind of approach that could make Clayface such an interesting character. You can understand why someone becomes a monster without excusing the terrible things they eventually do.

The story follows Matt Hagen, a Gotham City kid who manages to become a successful Hollywood actor. His career comes crashing down when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured.

After being abandoned by the people around him, Matt turns to an experimental medical treatment that restores his appearance. Unfortunately, the procedure comes with some horrifying consequences, affecting his sanity and sending him down a violent path of revenge.

The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James. Watkins directs from a screenplay credited to Flanagan and Amini, with Flanagan also receiving a story credit.

I'm really curious to see how this movie turns out, especially with Flanagan's original screenplay serving as its foundation. The guy is a master storyteller and easily one of the best filmmakers working today. His work on The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and Doctor Sleep shows just how good he is at combining horror with emotionally powerful character stories.

That's exactly what a Clayface movie needs, and I hope Watkins and Amini didn't stray too far from Flanagan's original vision. It would be a shame to lose what made his take on the character special in the first place.

Watkins certainly sounds confident that the heart of Flanagan's story remains intact, so hopefully they've delivered something worthy of the character and the filmmaker who originally brought the idea to life.

Clayface arrives in theaters on October 23, 2026.