Peter Safran, head of DC Studios, reaffirmed the franchise's direction after the acquisition of Skydance.

This week IGN spoke with Peter Safran, CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios, about the status of the studio's upcoming projects now that Warner Bros. has been acquired by Skydance. Our discussion covered their future projects, from Clayface to feature films, television and animation.

I spoke with Peter Safran, CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios this week about the status of the studio's future projects now that Warner Bros. has been acquired by Skydance.

Our discussion ranged from DC's newest release, Clayface, to their upcoming feature film, television and animated projects, including Batman: Episode II, The Man of Tomorrow, People vs. Gorilla Grodd, Mr. Miracle, and what DC Studios president and filmmaker James Gunn might be directing after Superman.

My chat with Peter Safran follows. Edited for clarity.

IGN: Congratulations Clayface is actually happening. In the past, the best we could hope for was a SyFy Channel movie. Like human-thing.

Peter Safran: Exactly, exactly. Well, luckily, we all grew up loving "Feat of Clay" on the [Batman] animated series, so when [Mike] Flanagan came in to introduce us, it was a very, very receptive audience, for sure.

So we had a few things, but this is only the third narrative feature to appear, which probably isn't what you'd necessarily expect when you're rebooting a universe. But we've always said that good scripts drive us, and Flanagan wrote a great one.

IGN: Clayface will be the first release under Skydance's new regime. I know you have to be careful about private conversations, but have you and James been given any instructions from David Ellison about what he might want to see from the DCU going forward?

Peter Safran: You know, he's been very complimentary about what we've done and he just wants to give us the resources to continue to do what we're doing. I think he sees the long-term vision that we have, and we certainly explained that to him earlier this year, and he wants us to continue to do that.

IGN: Clayface is the smallest film you guys have made. I love that it's basically a movie that doesn't get made a lot anymore, $40 million or whatever. Are you planning to make more of these smaller films or will you have to wait?

Peter Safran: We've always said that our slate should have a very wide range of tones and budgets and scales and scopes, and this is another example of us living up to what we've said we're going to do. James and I are both beautiful, and you and I have talked about horror for years, James and I are steeped in the world of horror, so the fact that we can make a full R-rated horror picture, but under the DCU banner and within the DCU, is incredibly exciting, it really is a dream come true. And at his core, Clayface really represents to us the creative flexibility that makes DC unique.

So, from the beginning, the project was never conceived as a traditional superhero film, but was always a character-driven story that used DC mythology to explore obsession, identity, fame, transformation, and explore those themes. So, it really represents what we were talking about in the beginning going forward, and I think that audiences really want things that feel different and this one really does.

I think the genre approach, rather than following the conventions of a classic comic book drama, instead, and you saw the movie last night, we're leaning into the psychological elements of body horror that create this really unsettling experience. And the character's ability to physically transform becomes a vehicle for exploring these deeper human fears about identity and self-worth and losing control, and there's a real story at the heart of it, there's a real character journey at the heart of this film. And I always say that the best horror movie is if you take away the horror, there's still a good drama, and I feel like that's what it is. It has a real depth. I think people are going to be surprised when they see it, and I think that point of distinction is that you've never seen a comic book adaptation in the movie world, that's something that audiences will pick up on.

IGN: Clayface is set in Gotham City. James has said it's in the DCU. How much should fans really care? Is this what Gotham City will look like when you finally make Batman: The Brave and the Bold?

Peter Safran: What we've always said is that it has the look of integrity, but the next filmmaker who takes on Gotham, [they can] use that as a starting point, they can all feel different. I think every filmmaker, just like a great comic book filmmakers deal with stories in the same universes and with the same characters in different comic books, we want each film to have its own reflection from the filmmaker's point of view. Look, Gotham, for example, is a dirtier, dirtier place than Beach City, and I don't think that, all of a sudden, Gotham is going to become Paris, and so I think that it's always going to be a constant.

But I think, actually, James Watkins [Clayface director] did a great job of layering in the darker, grittier atmosphere, but also the glimpses like when you're inside his apartment before he leaves. But you get a little sense of what money can buy you in Gotham, there's an elegance to it, the fine art brilliance that it can have, but we all know that Gotham is a little dirty, a little gritty, a little dangerous.

IGN: Now that Lanterns has finished its first season, what is DC's plan on TV right now?

Peter Safran: Well, we're obviously currently in production on Gorilla Grodd, we have a number of other features that we're really excited about. The episodic world will always be an important part of our overall roster. It's a great way to tell stories that require more real estate than a feature film can give you, and it's a great way to introduce characters that we then bring into the world of the film. And I think Aaron Pierre and Jon Stewart are perfect examples of that. We introduced him to fans and the audience will see him in Man of Tomorrow next summer. So, it's very important for us to continue to tell aspects of the story that we don't tell in the film world, so there's more to come.

Listen, we'll see what happens in Lanterns Season 2. If, I think, the collective group of HBO and DC and Chris Mundy and the team all feel that we have something that is a worthy successor to the absolutely popular first season of television, then I wouldn't be surprised to see more.

IGN: But the second season of Green Lanterns isn't?

IGN: What do you think is the next project after Gorilla Grodd that will go in front of the camera?

Peter Safran: There's a couple vying for that spot, but we're not making a firm commitment that it's going to be next either in film or on TV. We have a very strong portfolio of animation that's all moving forward right now, but on the live-action side, it's a little bit TBD.

DC Universe: Every Future Movie and TV Show

IGN: Obviously, just from a market perspective, you don't want to have dueling Batmans out there.

Peter Safran: No. Look, we know we have Batman: Part Two and [the animated film] Dynamic Duo in 2028. Listen, I couldn't be more excited about the plans we have over the next five years and, obviously, a lot of them, we can't talk about them yet, but I don't think I have the feeling that you all love. What's ahead and, again, Batman: Part II, everyone is aware of the problems we're having right now, but what we've seen of the shoot so far looks absolutely fantastic, and Matt Reeves is an incredibly talented filmmaker. Dynamic Duo, for my money, is as original to Pixar today as it was when they made Toy Story, so we're really excited about that. Obviously, the man of tomorrow is in the [production] position right now.

IGN: On that TV front, you announced some interesting animation projects at the Annecy festival. What can you tell us about where some of them are now?

Peter Safran: Somewhere in the early stages. The Ultimate Batman (Scott Snyder) is currently working on the script. Mr. Miracle, I think that Tom King really learned a lot in his season as co-creator and executive producer of Lanterns and completely adapted Mr. Miracle himself, wrote all eight episodes, and I think it's just dynamite. Josh Hutcherson as Scott Frey and Mackenzie Davis as Big Barda. And I just think it's a book that I've always loved, and I remember Tom telling us early on, every convention he goes to, at least a few people come up to him and say this book saved my life, and I love that we tell this story in eight parts. And it's just a beautiful story about "How do we survive in today's world, knowing that we'll never really know the answers to life's big questions?" It's a beautiful book and the adaptation is fantastic, so we're excited about it.

IGN: And that comic book looks really cool

Peter Safran: Yeah, it's one of the early stages of development where we're working on the script right now. The really advanced ones are Creature Commandos Season Two, Mr Miracle, My Adventures with Green Lantern, Starfire and DC Superpowers. These are all creatively on track. So we're really excited because we love the animation, we love the art form, and the fact that we're going to have such a strong slate is fantastic.

IGN: When do you think the marketing push and revelations will start for Man of Tomorrow?

Peter Safran: I think it's early days, it's early days. That's what we'll be figuring out next month.

IGN: Has David Ellison ever hinted at any idea or change in the way DC films are marketed?

Peter Safran: No, not yet. But, remember, the whole thing is a week, it was literally last Tuesday.

IGN: They just painted the Warner Bros. Water Tower.

Peter Safran: Yes, it is the first days. But for us, we're back home with Josh Goldstein [head of marketing and theatrical distribution], even though we're bringing him back as head of marketing and distribution on our movies, and he's super, super smart, and we have a great relationship with him. So, I think that everything should be discussed going forward. But, listen, they're playing Clayface right now, everyone's excited about that release, and so it's great to be able to talk to Josh about our business again.

IGN: Has James Gunn decided on the next movie he's going to direct yet?

IGN: I think he could probably use some breathing room.

Peter Safran: He really loves what he does. At that time, he was writing the full season of Creature Commandos, writing and directing the second season of Peacemaker, and preparing the first Superman movie. So, he has endless passion and excitement for what we're building, so I don't expect him to take too much time between The Man of Tomorrow and whatever he does next.