Batman Villain Gets His Own Horror Film in Clayface
Behind the Scenes: Cinema: Batman Villain Gets His Own Horror Film in ClayfaceClayface, a DC Studios horror film about one of Batman’s classic villains, reaches cinemas at the end of October. The US release is set for 23 October: the film was originally dated for 11 September but moved closer to Halloween.
It is the third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC universe, and it carries an adult R rating in the US.
What the film is about
Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a rising film star. After a severe facial injury, he volunteers for an experimental procedure meant to restore his looks. Instead, his body begins to change until it turns into living clay.
The filmmakers describe it as body horror and compare it with David Cronenberg’s The Fly. It is a standalone origin story, unconnected to Matt Reeves’s The Batman.
Who made it
The idea came from Mike Flanagan, creator of The Haunting of Hill House and director of Doctor Sleep. He talked about wanting to make the film as early as 2021 and pitched it to DC Studios in March 2023. It was greenlit in December 2024, but Flanagan was busy with other projects, so in February 2025 James Watkins, director of The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil, was hired.
Hossein Amini (Drive) wrote the screenplay from Flanagan’s story. Rob Hardy is the cinematographer, Volker Bertelmann composed the score and Framestore handled the visual effects. The producers include Matt Reeves, James Gunn and Peter Safran.
The cast
Tom Rhys Harries won the lead after a long search and was announced in June 2025. Naomi Ackie plays Dr Caitlin Corr, the scientist running the experiment, and Max Minghella plays Gotham City police detective John Borelli. Eddie Marsan, David Dencik and Nancy Carroll also appear.
The shoot
Filming took place from 31 August to 1 November 2025 in Liverpool and at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden under the working title Corinthians. Harries performed some scenes with a torn ACL. The budget is around $40 million, very modest for a superhero film.
In the DC universe timeline the story takes place before Superman (2025). Clayface has already appeared in the animated series Creature Commandos, but those events happen after the film.
When to watch
The film opens in the US on 23 October. Cast, stills and the trailer are on the film’s page in our AMDB database.
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Author: Vikram Nair, film production writer
Publication date: 23 September 2026
Views: 16
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