Welcome to the dark corner of the DC Universe.
Warner Bros. Pictures is sitting out this week’s San Diego Comic-Con, but that didn’t stop the studio from trying to swipe some of the pop-culture expo’s thunder on Wednesday, unleashing the official trailer for Clayface, the first outright horror film from James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s rebooted DC Studios comic-book division.
Taking a page from Todd Phillips’ Joker (the original — not the sequel we’ve all decided doesn’t exist), the James Watkins-directed film makes a classic Batman villain the star of his own story, with Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries playing the titular shapeshifter.
Soundtracked to a spacey remix of The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??,” the two-minute promo sets up the broad strokes of the film: the picture perfect Tinseltown star Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is the victim of a vicious knife attack. He seeks from a doctor (Naomi Ackie) whose experimental treatment has gooey side effects, including an unchecked rage that sends him off on a path of vengence.
Here’s everything we know about Clayface.
The backstory
Clayface is the moniker for a series of DC villains. Debuting in 1940, the first incarnation was inspired by the horror films of the era, but he only lasted a few outings. The classic version of the character arrived in the 1950s. Taking a cue from B-movie sci-fi, this Clayface was the alter ego of Matthew Hagen, a treasure hunter who acquired shapeshifting powers after being exposed to radioactivity and became a member of Batman’s rogues gallery.
There have been subsequent versions through the years, but the film name-checks Hagen.
The idea of a Clayface feature was first broached in 2021 by horror maven Mike Flanagan, best known for his acclaimed Stephen King adaptations (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck) and his Netflix scare-fests (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass). (See Gold Derby’s career retrospective interview with Mike Flanagan.)
The initial idea went nowhere, but Flanagan persisted, taking his idea to Gunn and Safran after they assumed control of DC’s film unit, selling them on a stand-alone body-horror movie in the vein of classic David Cronenberg. It would be the first DC-branded horror movie since Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing adaptation way back in 1982.
The plot
Here’s how Warner Bros. is describing the film:
“DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre, Clayface is a riveting horror thriller from director James Watkins, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the Gotham City villain.
“Clayface unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.”
The tagline is “Fear the Face.”
The cast
In addition to Harries as Matt Hagen/Clayface, the film co-stars Naomi Ackie as the doctor who inadvertently transforms him and also features David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James.
The creatives
Watkins, who previously helmed an episode of Black Mirror, is directing from a screenplay credited to Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Producers include Gunn, Safran, Lynn Harris, and The Batman director Matt Reeves. At various points Reeves was considering featuring Clayface as a villain in his sequel to the Robert Pattinson film as well as exploring a solo project, à la The Penguin.
According to Gunn, Watkins’ Clayface will exist outside Reeves’ The Batman franchise but will be part of the larger DC Universe, set before the events of Gunn’s Superman movie and offering the first glimpse of the new DCU’s Gotham City. (Gunn and Safran have yet to cast their Caped Crusader.)
The trailers
A week after unveiling the first look at CinemaCon, Warner Bros. dropped the teaser trailer for Clayface on April 22. The minute-long clip reveals the man who will be Clayface lying in a hospital bed with bandages covering his disfigured visage while quick flashbacks tease how he ended up there and then flash-forwards reveal his bloody revenge.
The release date
Warners has circled a Halloween release for the film: Oct. 23, 2026.
The awards chances
While The Penguin was a huge Emmy player and Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, Clayface seems like a pure entertainment play. Aside from a potential hair and makeup bid, it seems unlikely to be a The Substance-like contender.
This story was originally published on April 22 and updated on July 22 with the official trailer.
