Clayface trailer puts body horror at center of DC origin story
DC Studios and Warner Bros. released a full trailer for Clayface ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, with the film due in theaters Oct. 23, 2026.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
DC Studios and Warner Bros. have released the first full trailer for Clayface, giving the next DC Universe film a horror-driven introduction before San Diego Comic-Con begins. Ars Technica reports that the movie is part of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” arc and is scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 23, 2026.
The film follows Matt Hagen, the Clayface incarnation previously introduced in DC’s animated Creature Commandos series, where Alan Tudyk voiced the character, according to Ars Technica. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Hagen, with Naomi Ackie playing Dr. Caitlin Bates, a fringe scientist who becomes romantically involved with him.
According to the official premise cited by Ars Technica, Hagen rises from a Gotham street kid to a Hollywood leading man before a crime boss’s attack leaves him badly disfigured. After losing his career and support system, he turns to an experimental treatment that restores his appearance but damages his sense of reality and sends him toward revenge.
Ars Technica reports that the movie began as a project from Mike Flanagan, whose credits include The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher and Doctor Sleep. Flanagan has said he drew inspiration from “Feat of Clay,” a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series, and wanted to shape the story as both body horror and a tragic thriller.
DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran backed Flanagan’s pitch and folded the movie into the rebooted DCU, according to Ars Technica. Flanagan later left because of scheduling conflicts, and James Watkins took over as director. Gunn has said the completed script kept Flanagan’s original story, with rewrites by Hossein Amini, Ars Technica reported.
The trailer opens with Bates asking Hagen to reveal the injuries hidden under a mask, according to Ars Technica’s description. Hagen wants to reclaim the life he had before the attack, and Bates offers an experimental procedure built around injections of an unidentified viscous substance.
Ars Technica reports that Bates warns Hagen the treatment is not standard cosmetic work and may cause side effects she cannot treat. The trailer then shows the procedure appearing to work before Hagen’s body begins to fail him in grotesque ways, including a scene aboard a plane in which his face sags and his eyes appear to seal shut.
The cast also includes Max Minghella as a Gotham City police detective who is dating Bates, according to Ars Technica. Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Francesca Corney, Ruby Sear and Wil Coban are also in the film, though their roles have not been disclosed.
Ars Technica notes that an earlier teaser released in April showed Hagen bandaged in a hospital bed and ended with his softened face beginning to change shape. The new trailer gives a fuller look at the mutation that drives the character’s anger and the film’s horror tone.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.