James Gunn & Peter Safran's DC Exit Officially Addressed By Clayface Director

Media Punch/INSTARimages Published Nov 15, 2026, 6:28 PM EST Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers. Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts. Sign in to your ScreenRant account EXCLUSIVE: The world is reacting to the shocking changes happening at DC Studios. November came with a big surprise as it was revealed earlier this week that James Gunn and Peter Safran are ending their time as co-CEOs at DC Studios after four years. While they are remaining intact on the creative side, it has sparked a lot of questions about the future of the DCU, which just released its latest installment in October. In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant's Andy Behbakht, Clayface filmmaker James Watkins spoke a bit about the DC Studios shake-up, as the chat took place the day after the news was revealed about Safran and Gunn stepping down from their roles. When he was asked if there had been any discussions prior to the announcement of working further with them after his R-rated horror entry, and what his future with the franchise looks like now, the British director stated the following: James Watkins: Well, I mean, look, the film [is] currently in the third week of its run. It's doing well. And the reactions are great. But no, I mean, the truth is I'm not party to any of these conversations. All I can say is I've had genuinely, and this is not trying to be political or anything. I've had a really, really good time working with James and Peter. They've been incredibly supportive. They've given me a lot of freedom to make the film I want to make and support. And so I've had a great time within that environment, and whatever they do in the future, I wish them the best because they're really good guys. But beyond that, no, I can't really speak to that, I'm afraid. While they may be ending their time running DC Studios, Gunn and Safran aren't fully leaving the brand, as they will be resuming their creative roles, with both the Man of Tomorrow movie and HBO Max's The People V. Gorilla Grodd in post-production. The MCU director is also working on a third film, which is being kept under wraps. Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order. After the Clayface ending, ScreenRant's Andy Behbakht also asked the British director if he had any interest in other DC characters he would like to explore, if he were to return to the franchise. While a sequel to the Tom Rhys Harries-starring feature may not be happening, Watkins shared the following: James Watkins: Future plans, as it were. Well, [I got] a couple of things, really. I'd like to do something in the sci-fi space, kind of a grounded survival. I've got a couple of things up my sleeve, and I'm kind of tweaking on something there in that space. And I think the horror space, or the horror-adjacent space, shall I say, because the borders of horror have sort of expanded when you look at what's happened recently [with] Zach Cregger and you look at Backrooms and Obsession and all those films - even with Clayface, it's funny. I've talked to people, and there [are] a lot of people that go, "Well, I wouldn't normally go and see a horror film, but I really enjoyed your movie." And I'm like, "Yeah." I don't like putting things in these little boxes. It's like a film either works or it doesn't work, or it connects with an audience or it doesn't. But I do think we live in an age where there's a lot of kind of anxieties, I guess, and that horror-adjacent space is a really, really interesting space to work through those anxieties. But also more than that, and I think Clayface speaks to this. I really, really believe in the cinema and the experience, the communal experience of the cinema. And we were talking about that nightclub scene or whatever, that scene is best enjoyed with lots of people and the vibe of it. It's like going to see live music when you see a scene that works. And I think the sort of horror-adjacent space creates that as well as anything. And you can have just a great kind of roller coaster ride and have a great time. So I'm really committed to try and find films that can work in that space, I suppose. Clayface is playing in theaters. Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 108 Minutes Director James Watkins Writers Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini Producers James Gunn, Lynn Harris, Matt Reeves, Peter Safran Cast Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates Franchise(s) DCU Main Genre Horror Executive Producer(s) Mike Flanagan, Rafi Crohn, Chantal Nong Vo, Michael E. Uslan, Lars P. Winther, Paul Ritchie