DC Studios' Clayface arrives in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2026. Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the R-rated film pulls one of Batman's most tragic villains out of the shadows and into a dark, character-driven horror story.
Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood actor whose life collapses after he is left disfigured. Desperate to repair his face and his career, he turns to an experimental treatment that goes horribly wrong, turning his body into living, shapeshifting clay while his mind and humanity unravel.
Why is DC making a Clayface movie?
Under James Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios is widening what a DC movie can be. Clayface is the third film in the rebooted DC Universe, following Superman and Supergirl, and it is the studio's first real step into horror. Gunn has said that not every DC film will look or feel like Superman, and this one is proof.
I can't wait to share this wonderful movie so lovingly crafted by James Watkins in four short weeks. #ClayfaceMovie - only in theaters October 23. https://t.co/SPfo9nElnP
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 24, 2026
- Genre variety: Rather than another team-up or effects spectacle, DC is testing a claustrophobic body-horror thriller. It is also reported to be the first R-rated film of the current DC slate.
- A lean budget: The film was made for roughly $40 million, a fraction of a typical superhero tentpole. A smaller price tag lets filmmakers take darker, more adult risks without needing a billion-dollar return.
- A human story first: Instead of centering Batman, the film focuses on the tragedy behind one of Gotham's monsters. It shows how desperation, vanity, and reckless science can destroy an ordinary person.
- A passion project: Flanagan had pitched a horror-leaning Clayface film for years and has cited the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode "Feat of Clay" as an inspiration. The film also counts The Batman director Matt Reeves among its producers.
How does the film connect to the comics?
Clayface has been several characters since his 1940 debut, which introduced actor Basil Karlo. The film follows the best-known later version, Matt Hagen, who first appeared in the early 1960s.
- The tragic origin: Hagen is a screen star whose transformation is tied to his looks and career. In "Feat of Clay," he becomes dependent on a compound called Renuyu to restore his scarred face. The film keeps that heartbreaking core: Hagen is not born a monster, but driven toward one by insecurity, ambition, and exploitation.
- The shapeshifting nightmare: In the comics, Clayface can mimic other people and turn his limbs into weapons. The film appears to play those powers as body horror, centered on the pain and mental breakdown of a man losing control of his own shape.
- A place in the larger universe: It is a self-contained story, but it is an official entry in the DC Universe, which leaves the door open for the character to cross paths with other Gotham figures later.
When it opens and how to see it
Clayface is a theatrical release, opening Friday, October 23, 2026, timed for the Halloween season. It reaches some international markets a day or two earlier, including France and Australia.
Tickets should be available through major platforms such as Fandango, Atom Tickets, and AMC Theatres, or directly from your local cinema. No streaming date has been confirmed, so the big screen is the only sure way to see it first.