- Clayface's director says nearly 20 different versions of the villain's final form were made
- Two animated series were key influences on the design that was eventually settled on
- James Watkins also confirms he was given "free rein" to make it as grotesque as possible
Full spoilers follow for Clayface, including its finale.
The director of Clayface has revealed that the DC villain's live-action form was reshaped nearly 20 times before the final design was locked in.
Ahead of the body horror movie's release in late October, I sat down for an exclusive chat with James Watkins to discuss how the latest DC Universe (DCU) flick was sculpted.
About midway through our conversation, I steered it into full spoiler territory, including how Watkins and company brought the Batman rogue to life not only in live-action for the first time, but also in all of his grotesque glory.
Unsurprisingly, there have been many iterations of the character in myriad DC comic book runs, video games, and animated offerings, the latter of which counts beloved Saturday morning cartoon Batman: The Animated Series among its number.
With the aforementioned program's two-part tale 'Feat of Clay' serving as a key inspiration for Clayface, was that the primary influence for the eponymous antagonist's final design? Or did other versions of the character also serve to inform Matt Hagen's full transformation into the metamorphosing monstrosity?
"We looked at all the comics," Watkins said, "We also looked at 'Feet of Clay' and Creature Commandos, so there are a lot of versions we looked at, and then we were mindful of it [the final design] having to look right in live-action, rather than just as [if it's been pulled from] a comic book.
"I guess the key thing for this interpretation is the emotion," Watkins continued. "We spent hours obsessing about the pain in his eyes, the pain in his voice when he screams, the man trapped inside the monster, and the sense of that duality that I guess he has. We made about 17 different versions trying to find the monster, while also making sure that we could identify [Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen]."
Watkins name-dropping Creature Commandos won't come as a shock to fans. The adult animated show, which was also the first DCU Chapter One project to be released, included Clayface as part of its plot, with Hagen's alter-ego having a small but significant role to play.
So, when it came to moulding Clayface's live-action design, was Watkins limited by the character's prior animated appearance?
"No, I had free rein," the filmmaker revealed. "It was all on me."
Heading out to see Watkins' latest feature this weekend? Read my Clayface review before you do.