“CLAYFACE”: WARNER BROS. BRINGS A DARKER, HORROR-DRIVEN CHAPTER TO THE DC UNIVERSE

The official trailer for Clayface offers a chilling first look at Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ latest addition to the evolving DC Universe, taking the franchise into darker territory with a horror-thriller centred on identity, ambition, transformation and revenge.

Directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role, Clayface follows Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood star whose meteoric career is brutally cut short after he is left horribly disfigured. With his life and identity shattered, Matt turns to an experimental treatment that appears to restore his former self — but comes with devastating consequences.

Rather than focusing solely on the traditional superhero spectacle associated with DC, Clayface explores a much more unsettling side of Gotham. The film combines body horror, psychological tension and elements of crime and drama, using Matt’s transformation to examine the destructive relationship between identity, fame and the desire to reclaim what has been lost.

The trailer introduces a world where scientific ambition and personal desperation collide. As Matt attempts to regain control of his life, the treatment begins to affect his perception of reality, sending him down an increasingly destructive path fuelled by revenge.

The film also brings together a strong ensemble cast, including Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, alongside Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. The screenplay comes from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, based on a story by Flanagan and the DC characters.

Visually and tonally, Clayface marks a distinctive direction for the DC Universe, embracing the darker possibilities of one of Gotham’s most recognisable villains. The film moves beyond the conventional superhero origin story to deliver a character-driven exploration of what happens when the pursuit of perfection comes at the cost of humanity.

As Warner Bros. continues to expand the cinematic possibilities of the DC Universe, Clayface offers a strikingly different perspective — one that blends the scale of a comic-book franchise with the atmosphere and psychological intensity of a horror thriller.

Clayface arrives in UK cinemas on 23 October 2026. Watch the trailer here.

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