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The DC Universe is getting ready for its next major theatrical release.
Following this summer's Supergirl film, the next installment in the DCU's Chapter 1: "Gods and Monsters" slate will take the spotlight to Gotham City. However, it won't be about Batman, but instead one of his most dangerous super-villains.
DC Studios' Clayface will be the first horror story in James Gunn's franchise. As the R-rated entry is opening in a few months, Entertainment Weekly has debuted new images for the upcoming body horror from DC. Check out the full gallery below:
In their Clayface cover story, multiple new details were confirmed about the upcoming horror story. To begin with, EW stressed that while audience members haven't seen Matt Hagen in his full monster form, it will indeed be part of the actual film, but with a catch.
Future marketing for the DCU entry will not show his final form, as they stated, "Matt’s full transformation into Clayface — the true towering form with gaping mouth and deep, cavernous eyes — will be saved as a surprise for theaters. You won’t see it officially in any marketing materials, we’re told." But this does confirm that what has been seen so far in the first trailer is only a taste of his powers.
Director James Watkins explained the reason behind it to EW with the following statement, using Steven Spielberg’s Jaws as an example: “You don’t want to show the shark. I think people give away too much…I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it’s more fun.”
Harries gave his reaction to seeing Clayface's final form: “It’s been a year since I saw that thing being built out. I can’t wait for people to see it. I’m constantly in awe of the huge creative machinery that goes into making a film like this, and how talented everybody on board is, and how lucky I felt to be a part of that in any way.”
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has also formally revealed that the Clayface movie takes place prior to Creature Commandos, and that the version of the shapeshifter that viewers saw in the animated series is indeed Tom Rhys Harries' iteration. He stated, “Yes, it is the same Clayface."
Naomi Ackie's mystery character has also formally been revealed as Caitlyn Corr, who is an original player for the film and not from the comics. She is the scientist who ends up giving Matt "the transmogrifying serum, " which deals with such dark subject matter that turns him into the famous DC foe. Max Minghella's Gotham PD player was also formally revealed, as he is playing a detective named John Pearlman, another original creation for the DC feature.
As Clayface is “the true body horror of a Cronenberg-type movie," Safran also stressed that "We’re not just telling a villain story, but a real psychological unraveling.” In terms of what the DCU has in store for Matt after his 2026 solo adventure remains to be seen.
With Clayface being one of the many horror movies in 2026, time will tell how the DCU entry will perform at the box office, while also fitting into the larger comic book universe. But with less than three months left to go, another trailer should hopefully be on its way to shed more light on the overall story.
Clayface opens on October 23.
