Warner Bros releases last look at Clayface before release

The first trailer for DC Studios’ Clayface has arrived, offering audiences their first substantial look at the upcoming horror thriller and its tragic take on one of Gotham City’s most distinctive villains.

Directed by James Watkins, the filmmaker behind The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil, Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a struggling Gotham actor whose attempt to restore his shattered career and appearance ultimately sends his life spiralling out of control.

The film is scheduled to arrive exclusively in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 23 October 2026.

Watch the Clayface trailer

The new Clayface trailer introduces a considerably darker interpretation of the DC character, blending psychological horror, body horror and superhero mythology.

Watch the official Clayface trailer on YouTube

Rather than presenting Clayface simply as a traditional comic-book villain, the film appears to centre on Matt Hagen’s transformation and the consequences of an experimental treatment that gives him a chance to reclaim the life he lost.

That opportunity comes at a devastating cost.

What is Clayface about?

The story follows Matt Hagen, who rises from a difficult childhood on the streets of Gotham to become a successful Hollywood actor.

His progress is abruptly destroyed when the actions of a local crime boss leave him horribly disfigured. With his career, appearance and support network gone, Hagen turns to an experimental treatment that appears to offer the impossible: a return to his former self.

But the treatment doesn’t simply restore his body.

It also begins to affect his perception of reality.

As Hagen struggles to maintain control, his desperation develops into an increasingly destructive quest for revenge, setting the stage for his transformation into the infamous Clayface.

The premise gives the movie a more intimate horror angle, with the character’s powers and identity seemingly tied directly to his physical and psychological deterioration.

Tom Rhys Harries leads the Clayface cast

Clayface features Tom Rhys Harries in the title role, with the actor taking on one of DC’s most physically transformative characters.

The supporting cast includes Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.

The film is directed by James Watkins from a screenplay written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. The story is credited to Flanagan and is based on characters from DC.

The production team brings together several major names from DC’s current filmmaking landscape. Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran are producing, with Michael E. Uslan, Chantal Nong Vo, Lars P. Winther, Paul Ritchie, Rafi Crohn and Trevor Macy serving as executive producers.

Who is Clayface in DC Comics?

Clayface is one of the best-known members of Batman’s rogues gallery, although the identity behind the name has changed across different versions of DC Comics.

Matt Hagen is one of the most prominent characters to take on the Clayface identity. Traditionally, his transformation gives him the ability to alter his appearance and physically reshape his body, making him an unusually versatile threat for Batman and the wider DC universe.

The new movie appears to draw on that core mythology while placing greater emphasis on the character’s origins, personal tragedy and psychological collapse.

That approach also allows Clayface to occupy a different space from a conventional superhero film.

James Watkins brings horror expertise to DC

The choice of James Watkins as director is particularly notable given the filmmaker’s background in horror and psychological thrillers.

Watkins directed 2008’s Eden Lake, The Woman in Black and the 2024 horror film Speak No Evil. His involvement suggests that Clayface is being positioned as a genuine horror thriller rather than simply another superhero origin story.

The screenplay comes from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with Flanagan also credited with the story.

Flanagan is particularly associated with horror productions including The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher and Doctor Sleep, making his involvement another indication of the film’s horror-focused direction.

When is Clayface released?

Clayface will be released exclusively in UK and Ireland cinemas on 23 October 2026.

The movie is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and is a DC Studios production.

The October release date places the film firmly in the Halloween season, which fits the project’s horror-driven approach.

For UK audiences, Clayface will initially be a theatrical release rather than a day-and-date streaming movie.

Clayface’s DC future

The arrival of a standalone Clayface movie marks an unusual direction for DC Studios, taking a character traditionally associated with Batman and building an entire feature around his transformation.

The film’s connection to producers including James Gunn and Peter Safran also places it within the broader DC Studios era, although the movie’s story is designed around Matt Hagen and his descent into becoming Clayface.

With the first trailer now released, the focus will likely turn to how closely the finished film embraces its horror influences and how this version of the character fits into the wider DC universe.

For now, the central story is clear: a Hollywood actor gets a second chance at the life he lost, only for the treatment that saves him to become the beginning of his downfall.

Clayface opens exclusively in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 23 October 2026.

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