Here is what the page “Clayface Director James Watkins Explains Why DC Movie Chose Matt Hagen Over Original Basil” contains. DC Studios' upcoming Clayface movie is making a notable change to its central villain, and director James Watkins is explaining why. In a recent interview, Watkins revealed that the film will feature Matt Hagen as the shapeshifting antagonist, not the original comic book Clayface, Basil Karlo. The decision, he says, was driven by a desire to ground the character in a more relatable, human story.
Hagen's traditional origin—a treasure hunter who gains shape-shifting abilities after exposure to a mysterious protoplasm—offers a tragic arc of identity loss and desperation that Watkins believes resonates more with modern audiences. Karlo, by contrast, began as a B-movie actor driven mad, a backstory the director felt was too campy for the tone he wanted. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.