Clayface Turns a Classic Batman Villain Into R-Rated Body Horror
Behind the Scenes: Cinema: Clayface Turns a Classic Batman Villain Into R-Rated Body HorrorThe DCU is heading into horror territory. Clayface, DC Studios’ R-rated origin story for one of Batman’s oldest foes, opens October 23 — pushed back from September 11 to land in the Halloween window.
It is the third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC universe, and it carries an R rating.
The story
Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor whose face is disfigured in an accident. Desperate to get his career back, he signs up as a test subject for an experimental treatment — and his body starts transforming into living clay.
The filmmakers pitch it as body horror in the vein of Cronenberg’s The Fly. It stands on its own and has no connection to Matt Reeves’s The Batman.
The filmmakers
The concept came from Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep), who first voiced interest in 2021 and pitched DC Studios in March 2023. When the film was greenlit in December 2024, Flanagan’s schedule was full, so The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil director James Watkins came aboard in February 2025.
Hossein Amini, the writer of Drive, scripted from Flanagan’s story. Rob Hardy shot it, Volker Bertelmann scored it and Framestore delivered the effects, with Reeves, Gunn and Safran among the producers.
The cast
Harries landed the role in June 2025 after an extensive search. Naomi Ackie is Dr. Caitlin Corr, the scientist behind the experiment, and Max Minghella plays Gotham detective John Borelli, with Eddie Marsan, David Dencik and Nancy Carroll rounding out the ensemble.
The production
The shoot ran from August 31 to November 1, 2025, in Liverpool and at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden under the working title Corinthians. Harries pushed through part of it with a torn ACL. The budget is roughly $40 million, lean by superhero standards.
On the DCU timeline, the film is set before 2025’s Superman. Clayface has already turned up in the animated Creature Commandos, but that appearance takes place later.
Release date
Clayface opens in theaters October 23. See the cast, stills and trailer on the film’s page in our AMDB database.
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Author: Daniel Reeves, industry reporter
Publication date: September 23 2026
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