Deana Carpenter is a Movies & TV News Reporter at CBR. Before joining the team, she worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Almanac and spent more than 15 years as a freelance newspaper reporter. With a background in journalism and media, she brings strong reporting experience and a passion for storytelling to her coverage of film and television.
A new report is shedding light on a rumor that’s been swirling around in the DC Universe for over a year. As DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn prepares for his Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, and Peacemaker winds down its second season on HBO, a movie focusing on one of the more humorous members of the Justice League might not be out of the question.
Per SuperHeroHype, Gunn, back in February 2024, replying to rumors that stated there was an upcoming casting call for Ruythye in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, also said that three more movies were in development. One of those was a Plastic Man film to be directed by the Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Whale). At that time, he also said there were movies in the works based on Teen Titans and Sgt. Rock, as well as Plastic Man.
“AT LEAST one of those things is not true. Have fun guessing,” Gunn wrote on the social media platform, Threads. It’s been close to two years since the post, and since then, Eve Ridley has been cast as Ruthye in Supergirl. DC Studios has also confirmed that both Teen Titans and Sgt. Rock feature films are in development. Now, scooper MyTimeToShineHello is reporting via ComicBookMovie that a Plastic Man movie is now officially being developed at DC Studios. However, details still remain scarce as to the plot or casting of the film and whether Gunn will snag Aronofsky to direct.
Two Iconic Actors Would Love to Play Plastic Man
Image via DC ComicsThe film, if it does come to fruition, is expected to be more of a lower-budget endeavor akin to Clayface and the long-delayed Sgt. Rock project. Plastic Man is known as one of the more consistent sources of comedic relief in DC’s comic books. The character, however, did not make its debut in DC, but first appeared in the Quality Comics-owned Police Comics #1 in 1941. Plastic Man, created by Jack Cole, was not acquired by DC until 1956, and at that time, the character folded into its universe.
Plastic Man is known for his superhero ability to stretch and contort his body into limitless shapes and sizes. The character originally was a petty criminal named Patrick “Eel” O’Brian, and after a chemical accident, was transformed into the being known as Plastic Man. The character was the star of his own animated TV series that ran from 1979 to 1981.
If a Plastic Man movie does end up in theaters, it will be the first time that the character has appeared in live-action form on-screen. A few actors have been noted as saying they would love to take on the part of Plastic Man, including Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog). Schwartz previously addressed how he would interpret Plastic Man, saying, "He could be comedic. He has like, a big thief backstory. [Patrick] O’Brian, I’m obsessed with that character. And, he’s funny," the actor continued. "And I think having a funny character in the Justice League, because technically, he is a part of the Justice League. I think that would be like a perfect foil to all the other serious characters they have over there.”
Up next in the DCU will be Supergirl, which is set for a June 26, 2026 theatrical release, and Clayface, which will hit movie theaters on Sept. 11, 2026.
Writer Christopher Cantwell
Penciler Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar
Colorist Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer Becca Carey
English (US) · 