SerpApi.Org
After a brief teaser terrorized audiences earlier this year, the first full-length trailer for Clayface has been released online. The latest DC Studios project looks unlike any comic book movie released before, featuring body-horror visuals that don't look like they belong in the same cinematic universe as Superman. However, when James Gunn and his producing partner Peter Safran took over DC Studios, the duo claimed that their projects would be filmmaker-driven. Now, the new trailer for Clayface looks like it will be delivering that promise in a horrific and exciting way, telling the origin story of one famous Batman villain.
The official trailer features Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), who, after becoming disfigured following a vicious attack, is given an experimental treatment to save his face. While the treatment seemingly works at first, what soon follows is Hagen becoming something else entirely as he struggles to keep his human form while also wanting vengeance against those responsible. Judging from the footage, the film seems to be making full use of the concept of Clayface's powers, with his skin and body eerily morphing and melting into itself.
Clayface was not a part of the original slate that DC Studios announced in 2023, officially titled Gods and Monsters. However, all of that changed when a script written by modern horror master Mike Flanagan was delivered to Gunn. Flanagan has made a name for himself with titles like Doctor Sleep, Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House. The DC Studios co-CEO was so impressed with Flanagan's script that the feature was quickly greenlit, with a talented production crew and cast assembled. James Watkins, who most recently directed Universal's remake of Speak No Evil, signed on to direct, and it's clear that the filmmaker is also bringing his own horror sensibilities to the table.
Following the critical and financial failure of Supergirl, DC Studios desperately needs to show that it is still abiding by the creative philosophy that its leadership touted during its initial development. Clayface looks like the perfect film to do that, taking the interconnected universe into a darker and more personal corner than other franchises have done in the past. While other successful DC films, like Matt Reeves' The Batman or Todd Phillips' Joker, also featured dark themes and intense storytelling, those films are touted as being standalone and not part of bigger franchises, given the "Elseworlds" label retroactively.
With Clayface, Gunn and Safran can set a new precedent: filmmakers can play in their sandbox of colorful characters and experiment with different genres to tell a captivating story. All that remains to be seen is whether Clayface will go all in on horror and prove that a cohesive cinematic universe does not always have to churn out the same kind of projects.
