The first teaser trailer for Clayface has officially arrived, marking a bold new chapter in James Gunn’s DC Universe. Fans of James Gunn’s DCU have already seen trailers for June’s Supergirl and August’s Lanterns, leaving this October’s Clayface as the last of the year to reveal any footage. The R-rated body horror film introduces Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a struggling actor whose life takes a horrifying turn after a brutal attack leaves him disfigured.
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The Teaser Trailer: A Disturbing First Look
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran hyped the teaser trailer as a “riveting horror thriller driven by character, not genre.” The trailer opens with Tom Rhys Harries’ Matt Hagen, a struggling actor, bloodied and bandaged up in a hospital bed. Tom Rhys Harries’ Matt Hagen is seen in a hospital bed, as his face is bandaged and bloody, after being attacked by a criminal with a knife. After having mysterious chemicals injected into him, it gives Matt the power to change his face, turning him into the famous DC foe.
The trailer shows Matt’s face melting, exploring the challenges with his new powers. Hagen’s melting is primarily presented in the teaser through his face, with his eyes and mouth disappearing or his lips fusing at times. Clayface’s first trailer concludes with Matt Hagen in a bathtub, wiping his face away like putty into a textured mess. The terrifying trailer climaxes with a shadowy shot of Clayface forming his hand into a mace, a signature move for the shapeshifter.
Film Details at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Clayface |
| Director | James Watkins |
| Writers | Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini |
| Lead Star | Tom Rhys Harries |
| Supporting Cast | Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik |
| Genre | Body Horror / Superhero |
| Rating | R-Rated |
| Budget | Approximately $40 million |
| Release Date | October 23, 2026 |
| Production | DC Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures |
The Story of Matt Hagen
Clayface is a body horror story about an up-and-coming actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort, he turns to a scientist who transforms his body into clay. Peter Safran has described the film as a full-on horror movie in the vein of David Cronenberg’s The Fly and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. The Clayface movie will be the first time the shape-shifting DC foe is used in a live-action film, as he has mostly been used in animated DC projects.
Tom Rhys Harries: A Rising Star
Tom Rhys Harries, a Welsh actor who is relatively unknown Stateside, will star as the Batman villain known for his ability to shape-shift. The casting ends a search that focused on young, British actors for the project. Among those in the mix has been Sinners bad guy Jack O’Connell, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ Tom Blyth and George MacKay, star of war movie 1917. Sources said DC toppers James Gunn and Peter Safran weren’t ready to pull the trigger on those that they met with and went deeper into the well.
This is a massive break for the 35-year-old actor who has been notching screen credits with work on screen and stage in the UK since around 20 years old. Among his early gigs was a role on BBC fantasy drama Jekyll & Hyde, and making his West End debut in Mojo with Ben Whishaw and Rupert Grint. In recent years, he appeared in the short-lived AppleTV+ series Suspicion and the short-lived Netflix series White Lines. He also had a role in the 2023 Gerard Butler action drama Kandahar.
Supporting Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Rhys Harries | Matt Hagen / Clayface |
| Naomi Ackie | Dr. Caitlin Bates (Scientist) |
| Max Minghella | Gotham City Police Detective |
| Eddie Marsan | Undisclosed Role |
| David Dencik | Undisclosed Role |
Max Minghella stars as John, a Gotham City detective suspicious of his fiancée’s relationship with Hagen. Naomi Ackie plays Caitlin Bates, a biotech CEO who treats Hagen after a mobster leaves him disfigured.
Why Clayface Matters for the DCU
The upcoming R-rated body horror movie was not originally part of DC Studios’ first slate of titles for the DCU, but was added based on the strength of Mike Flanagan’s screenplay alone. Gunn has described the project as “a great horror movie that is a great, smart, fun, fun, horror movie in a genre that I really love, which is body horror.”
James Watkins directed the R-rated entry, based on a script by horror legend Mike Flanagan, and will be the first DCU project to give a taste of Batman’s world ahead of his own solo film that is currently in development. Warner Bros. pushed back the film’s release date to October 23, 2026. It was intended to serve as a Halloween event film similar to Halloween Kills (2021) and Black Phone 2 (2025).
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FAQs
When does Clayface release in theatres?
Clayface releases in theatres on October 23, 2026, positioned as a Halloween event film.
Who plays the lead role of Matt Hagen in Clayface?
Tom Rhys Harries, a Welsh actor known for The Return, Kandahar, and The Gentlemen, plays Matt Hagen, who transforms into Clayface.
Is Clayface connected to The Batman with Robert Pattinson?
No, Clayface is part of James Gunn’s DC Universe and is separate from Matt Reeves’ The Batman series, which exists under the Elseworlds banner.
What is the budget of Clayface?
Clayface was produced on a stripped-down budget of approximately $40 million, allowing the filmmakers to focus on practical effects and creative storytelling.
Who wrote and directed Clayface?
Mike Flanagan wrote the original screenplay, with rewrites by Hossein Amini. James Watkins, director of Speak No Evil, directed the film.
