{
  "id": 12797664,
  "title": "James Gunn Responds to ‘Clayface’ Criticism: ‘The Public Voting on What IP They Want to See’ Isn’t ‘the Only Way to Make a Movie’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/james-gunn-responds-to-clayface-criticism-the-public-voting-on-what",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T05:40:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Variety",
    "slug": "variety",
    "url": "https://variety.com/2026/film/news/james-gunn-responds-to-clayface-criticism-dc-studios-1236905240/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "James Gunn, director of \"Superman\" and co-chief of DC Studios, responded to criticism about a potential \"Clayface\" movie. A user on Threads had asked \"who tf asked for a Clayface movie,\" prompting Gunn to fire back with a list of classic films that were not based on popular IP, including \"Back to the Future,\" \"Casablanca,\" and \"The Matrix.\"\n\nGunn argued that the public voting on what IP they want to see isn't the only way to make a movie. He cited examples of filmmakers being inspired by relatively unknown characters to create special stories. According to Variety and TheWrap, Gunn mentioned that sometimes a filmmaker's passion and inspiration can lead to a better movie than a writer trying to profit from a popular character.\n\nGunn has been defending his DC film universe, responding to fan questions and criticism from actors he's cast in his films. His comments on Threads reflect his approach to filmmaking and his vision for DC Studios.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "James Gunn Fires Back at Fan Who Snarked: “Who Asked for a ‘Clayface’ Movie?”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/james-gunn-fires-back-at-fan-who-snarked-who-asked-for-a-clayface",
        "published": "2026-10-07T17:00:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "James Gunn Claps Back at Fan Asking ‘Who the F–k Asked for a Clayface Movie’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/james-gunn-claps-back-at-fan-asking-who-the-f-k-asked-for-a-clayface",
        "published": "2026-10-07T19:34:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}