The first trailer for the DC Universe’s Clayface movie is now available online, following its premiere at CinemaCon. While James Gunn’s new DCU doesn’t currently feature Batman, it will include Batman villains. Like the Joker film, Clayface will be rated R and focus on this classic Batman foe – a character who’s been around since 1940 but hasn’t appeared in a live-action movie until now.
The upcoming series Clayface is directed by James Watkins (known for The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil) and written by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, the Haunting series on Netflix) and Hossein Amini (Drive, Obi-Wan Kenobi). Tom Rhys Harries (Britannia, Suspicion) stars as Matt Hagen, a promising actor who is injured by a gangster. This leads to experimental surgery that gives his body a clay-like form, as hinted at in early footage. You can watch the trailer below.
The trailer is intense and visually striking, delivering on the promise of a scary DC movie. It doesn’t reveal much about the story, but it gives viewers a good sense of what’s coming and plenty to look forward to.
Clayface Looks Like Another Winner For The DCU
The trailer opens with a shocking image: Matt, wounded and bandaged in a hospital bed. This immediately shows how severely he’s been hurt. We then see flashbacks – him happily posing on a red carpet, followed by a brutal attack where he’s cut, and finally, scenes of him receiving medical care. These scenes establish him as a tragic character, suggesting he’s driven by a desire for revenge, not malice.
Matt’s surgery, performed by Naomi Ackie’s character, unexpectedly gives him the power to shapeshift, allowing him to mold his body however he wants. The trailer showcases this with striking visuals, like his face seemingly melting and a disturbing final scene where his features distort. It’s a creatively unsettling effect, leaning into body horror, and suggests DC is embracing a genuinely frightening and visceral experience.
We also get a first look at Gotham City as it appears in the DC Universe movies. From a distance, it resembles other major cities like New York, but the close-up shots are fantastic. The shadowy alleys and bright neon lights create a truly unique atmosphere – the perfect setting for the kinds of strange and dangerous characters you’d expect to find there.
2026 looks like a fantastic year for DC Universe movies and shows. We’re getting the highly anticipated Supergirl film, alongside the series Lanterns. Before that, Clayface will arrive as a unique, low-budget ($40 million) horror film, and despite focusing on a less famous character, it’s expected to be another success.
Clayface hits theaters on October 23rd, 2026.
What were your first impressions of the Clayface trailer? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/movies/list/every-dcu-movie-tv-series-coming-in-2026/embed/#
Read More
- Adam Levine Looks So Different After Shaving His Beard Off
- Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter launches September 17
- After AI Controversy, Major Crunchyroll Anime Unveils Exciting Update
- Xbox Game Pass Users “Blown Away” by New Exclusive Game
- Dialoop coming to Switch on June 17
- Japan’s No. 1 Spring 2026 Anime Is the True Successor to an All-Time Great
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Steam Makes Sci-Fi Game 100% Free for 72 Hours
- Upcoming Movie Based on 10/10 Fantasy Masterpiece Gets a Release Date & Exciting Cast Update
- Paradox codes (April 2026): Full list of codes and how to redeem them
2026-04-22 22:34