Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios have released the first teaser for Clayface, offering an early look at one of its more unusual upcoming 2026 releases centered on a long-time Batman villain.
The footage in the trailer below centers on Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, an actor on the rise whose life takes a violent turn after a brutal attack leaves his face disfigured. Desperate to fix what’s been done to him, he seeks out a scientist, portrayed by Naomi Ackie, setting off a transformation that appears to push his body far beyond anything recognizable.
Directed by James Watkins, the film leans heavily into body horror, with a screenplay from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. The project came together quickly after Flanagan submitted a script that, according to DC Studios co-head James Gunn, stood out immediately despite the studio not initially planning a standalone film around the character.
Clayface | Official Teaser
The character of Clayface first appeared in Detective Comics #40 as a failed actor who turns to crime while adopting the persona of a horror character he once played. Over decades, the villain has evolved into a shape-shifting figure with a body that can morph, stretch and reform at will, making him a recurring presence across films, television series, animated projects and video games tied to the Batman universe.
The trailer leans heavily into that tragic transformation. One sequence shows Hagen at what appears to be a red carpet event, smiling under bright lights, suggesting a life of fame before his disfigurement. That image is quickly undercut by scenes of medical experimentation, including injections into his face and close-ups of blood being drawn and analyzed in a lab setting. Other shots show his body reacting violently, his skin stretching, collapsing and reforming in ways that obscure his identity.
Those visual choices point to a film rooted more in horror than traditional superhero storytelling. The project is written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with Flanagan’s involvement in particular shaping expectations around tone. Early analysis of the trailer suggests the film draws from the “Feat of Clay” storyline from Batman: The Animated Series, which framed the character as both monstrous and deeply tragic.
The footage also hints that the film will not shy away from depicting Hagen as a violent figure. In one brief moment, his shadow appears to morph as he strikes downward with a reshaped arm, suggesting acts of aggression rather than heroism. That direction could mark a shift from recent villain-led comic book films, which have often softened their central characters.
Directed by James Watkins, Clayface is part of the expanding slate from DC Studios under James Gunn and Peter Safran. The project follows the planned release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and signals a broader willingness within the studio to explore different tones across its interconnected universe.
The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. Ackie appears briefly in the trailer in what looks like a clinical or interrogative setting, suggesting her character may be tied to the experiments that lead to Hagen’s transformation.
The teaser offers little indication of how the film will connect to the broader DC Universe or whether Bruce Wayne will appear. With DC Studios still developing its next on-screen Batman, the film appears positioned as a largely self-contained story, at least initially.
Originally slated for a September release, Clayface is now set to hit theaters on Oct. 23, just in time for Halloween.
