Clayface (2026 film)

Clayface brings one of Batman's most distinctive and terrifying adversaries to the big screen in a dark horror film from DC Studios. The film is directed by James Watkins, known for Eden Lake and Speak No Evil (2024), and is based on a screenplay by Mike Flanagan, who has established himself as one of the most acclaimed horror specialists of recent times with a myriad of acclaimed horror series, including The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as horror films such as Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game.

Release Quarter 1

Release Quarter 1

Release Quarter 1

At the center of the DC film Clayface is the ambitious actor Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, whose career and life are turned upside down when his face is disfigured. In a desperate attempt to regain his appearance and his place in the film industry, he seeks out an experimental treatment that has catastrophic consequences. His body begins to change in a grotesque way, and soon he develops the ability to change both his shape and appearance.

While Clayface has traditionally appeared as one of Batman's many supervillains, the film focuses on the human behind the monster. The story explores identity, vanity, and the obsession with physical perfection through a tragic tale of a man who slowly loses control over his own body. With clear inspiration from classic body horror, the film sets the stage for a different and more unsettling interpretation of the DC universe, where the psychological and physical horrors are at least as central as the superhero elements.

The film is produced by, among others, Matt Reeves, James Gunn, and Peter Safran, and marks DC Studios' first real venture into the horror genre.