While the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery is still trying to figure out its tumultuous DC Extended Universe, it is important to point out that ToddPhillips' Joker is an exciting new avenue for DC films. The stories of the Elseworlds could have a place in the movie business.
The argument can be made that the movie's mass appeal was unique. It is a formula worth trying out when it comes to Batman. Clayface and Man-Bat are two of the best alternate-universe one-offs in the comic book movie genre.
The Dark Knight in The Batman is dripping with crime-noir tones that home in on the vital yet often neglected aspects of the film. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy gave rise to the tendency for groundedness.
The Batman sequel doesn't seem to be out of the question, but villains like Clayface and Man-Bat would likely do better in their respective sandboxes where they're allowed to get as weird as possible When it comes to Batman and Batman-related representation in live-action, fleshing out the DC Films catalog with anthology-style movies would be the best option. The Caped Crusader's lesser known cast of rogues could be developed and explored without the need for them to be in a conflict with the Dark Knight.
The character of Clayface could be justified in venturing into more risky territory because of the fact that the movie would be rated R. A Clayface movie with an R rating could make it stand out in a market dominated by superhero films.
Basil Karlo/Clayface has an exciting concept on paper, and should the right director/ writer come along, it would fit the genre perfectly. Karlo's story is a blend of horror and tragedy, which could make it feel like Phantom of the Opera.
Karlo is an actor and he is losing his mind and sense of morality under the weight of expectation.
The tragic villain angle can work well in live-action. James Tynion IV had a run on Detective Comics that involved Karlo becoming a reformed hero and putting his affliction to use for the greater good. While a solo movie shouldn't be turning him into a superhero, the way the ghosts of Karlo's past come back to haunt him would be great reference material for the "tragedy" element.
Karlo's origin and story could warrant a "period piece" approach. His being an actor is the crux of his character, with his clay-like morphing skin serving as a dark irony of his greatest passion.
Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat would be a full-blown horror/monster feature in a Clayface movie. There is still excitement over being able to create grounded versions of more sci-fi/out-there villains like Freeze in his Batman universe, but Man-Bat is too much of a stretch for what the director is going for.
A one-off disconnected movie is a perfect way to bring him into live-action, and where Clayface would have a Phantom of the Opera-like tragic element, for Man-Bat it could be similar to the movie "Frankenweenie".
The best on-screen depiction of Man-Bat is found in Rocksteady's trilogy-closing game Batman: Arkham Knight. He showed how to dial up the horror factor with such a beastly character and not just from the jump-scare introduction of Man-Bat.
Seeing Batman investigate Langstrom's lab and piece together the experiment that went wrong was heartbreaking. Under tactful direction and writing, taking a page from that side story and fleshing it out into a tragic feature could be very compelling.
The success ofPhillips' movie should be an inspiration for how thrillingly bizarre WBD can be with characters like the clown
The film is available to watch on the pay per view channel.
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