James Gunn has made one thing abundantly clear: he is not running out of nice things to say about James Watkins anytime soon. The DC Studios co-chief has repeatedly praised the filmmaker as they work together on Clayface, a collaboration that has also come with a rather enviable perk. Alongside Peter Safran, Gunn has given Watkins complete artistic freedom, without strict studio mandates or forced connections to the wider DCU timeline.

With Clayface on the horizon, James Gunn is making it increasingly difficult to miss just how impressed he is with James Watkins and his filmmaking.

James Gunn has found himself agreeing with the critics, and he is making sure director James Watkins gets his share of the credit. After The Hollywood Reporter praised Clayface for its psychological depth and emotional resonance, drawing comparisons to the body horror works of David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi, the DC Studios co-chief took to social media to share his own appreciation for the filmmaker.

“Have I told you what a pleasure it’s been working with director James Watkins on this project? If so, I’ll say it again!” he said in the Threads post.

Gunn has backed up that enthusiasm by giving Watkins the freedom to follow his own creative instincts. Alongside co-chief Peter Safran, he allowed the director to pursue his practical horror vision without strict studio mandates or forced connections to the wider DC Universe. When Watkins presented his ideas, Gunn reportedly responded with immediate excitement.

“Oh my God... it’s great, I love it, go with that,” was what he said back then.

Rather than treating Clayface as another comic book cash-in, Gunn has championed the film as an example of filmmakers building something meaningful around a lesser-known character. He has credited Watkins, alongside Mike Flanagan and screenwriter Hossein Amini, with shaping a story he believes is “very special.” For Gunn, that creative ambition is precisely what makes the collaboration worth celebrating and praise-worthy to repeat, as seen in his post.

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James Gunn is not handing out compliments for nothing. With James Watkins giving Clayface such a distinctive cinematic identity, the character’s return to the DCU feels like a natural next step, just like Gunn's praise.

What makes James Watkins’ take on Clayface special is that he never loses sight of the man beneath the monster. Rather than turning Matt Hagen into another comic book villain driven by destruction, the director builds the story around an actor whose face, identity, and future are violently taken from him. His transformation becomes a deeply personal tragedy, with the horror emerging from Hagen’s struggle to recognize himself.

Watkins further distinguishes the film through its grisly practical effects, drawing inspiration from body horror classics such as David Cronenberg’s The Fly, while grounding Gotham in a world shaped by corruption rather than superhero spectacle. With Tom Rhys Harries balancing Hagen’s vulnerability against his increasingly terrifying transformation, the director gives the DCU a monster whose humanity makes him frighteningly compelling.

It is precisely this distinctive vision that makes James Gunn’s repeated praise for Watkins understandable and leaves Clayface with a future worth exploring in the DCU.

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Do you think James Watkins deserves the praise? Let us know in the comments!