Move over, method actors: there’s a new face in town, and it happens to be every face at once. DC Studios just dropped the trailer for “Clayface,” and from the looks of it, this isn’t your average superhero romp. Slated for an Oct. 23 release, director James Watkins is pivoting away from capes and toward pure, unadulterated body horror.
A Skincare Routine Gone Wrong
The film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a struggling actor whose career—and face—get slashed after a brutal knife attack. Desperate to regain his leading-man looks, Hagen undergoes a “highly experimental” medical procedure.
Naturally, because this is a comic book movie and not a Pfizer commercial, things go south. Instead of looking like a young Brad Pitt, Hagen’s cellular structure turns into sentient mud. The trailer, which debuted at CinemaCon, leans heavily into the “ick” factor:
- Body Horror: We see Hagen in a hospital bed, his face a mess of bandages and blood.
- The Transformation: After being injected with a cocktail of mystery chemicals, his features begin to liquefy. In one unsettling shot, his eyes and mouth vanish entirely.
- The Bath Scene: The teaser ends with a haunting moment in a bathtub where Hagen casually wipes his own face off like excess makeup.
- Easter Eggs: We catch a glimpse of a shadow morphing into the character’s signature mace-shaped fist—a nod to his brute-force comic roots.
From Golden Age Goon to Modern Nightmare
Clayface has been around since 1940, originally debuting as a disgruntled actor in a mask. By 1961, the comics gave him the gooey superpowers we know today. While we’ve seen versions of him voiced by legends like Ron Perlman (Batman: The Animated Series) and Alan Tudyk (Harley Quinn), this marks the character’s live-action cinematic debut.
Joining Harries in the mud is Naomi Ackie, though her role remains under wraps. Harries, known for White Lines and The Gentlemen, has big shoes to fill—or rather, a big puddle to inhabit.
The Growing DC Slate
Under the watchful eye of James Gunn, the DCU is filling up fast. While “Clayface” provides the pre-Halloween chills this year, here’s what else is on the horizon:
| Movie | Release Date | Director |
| Supergirl | June 26 | Craig Gillespie |
| Man of Tomorrow | July 9, 2027 | TBA |
| The Batman: Part II | Oct. 1, 2027 | Matt Reeves |
Between the Man of Steel and a man made of clay, DC is finally getting its hands dirty. Grab your towels; it’s going to be a messy October.
