DCU’s ‘Clayface’ Movie Reportedly Gets Runtime Update — Fans Now Know How Long the Horror Will Be

DC’s upcoming ‘Clayface’ is already generating serious buzz before a single ticket goes on sale to the public. DC Film News shared early reactions from a test screening on June 19, citing leaker account @Cryptic4KQual, indicating the film played well with its audience and drew comparisons to ‘Joker,’ ‘Vanilla Sky,’ ‘The Substance,’ and ‘The Incredible Hulk.’

The current cut of the film is running at approximately one hour and fifty minutes, and the test screening is said to have gone over very well with viewers. No Batman appearances or DCU cameos were reportedly present, and Clayface’s transformations are described as limb-based rather than full body, with Hagen shifting his arms during moments of rage.

The film follows Matt Hagen, a rising actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster, who then turns to a scientist whose experimental treatment transforms his body into clay. Tom Rhys Harries leads the cast as Hagen, joined by Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, and David Dencik, with James Watkins directing from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini.

Aaron Paul has also reportedly joined the cast in a minor role, though no details about his character have surfaced yet. The addition of the ‘Breaking Bad’ star only adds to the growing anticipation around a project that has been consistently surprising genre fans since it was first announced.

The comparison to ‘The Substance’ in particular feels telling. James Gunn has been open about the film’s horror DNA, noting that ‘Clayface’ was not originally on DC Studios’ radar until Flanagan came in with his pitch, saying the filmmaker “came in with a pitch for Clayface that was like, ‘Wow, that is so cool.’ And then he wrote the screenplay and fulfilled doubly on that promise.

Gunn has described Flanagan’s screenplay as an “amazing body horror film” that he and co-chairman Peter Safran would have jumped at the chance to produce even if it had nothing to do with the DCU at all. That level of enthusiasm from the top of DC Studios is reflected in the creative choices made during production. Gunn personally pushed for practical effects and makeup to bring Clayface to life in-camera rather than relying on post-production visual effects.

Flanagan has acknowledged that his script draws direct inspiration from the classic ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ two-parter ‘Feat of Clay,’ which originally depicted Matt Hagen’s origin story. The decision to root this big-screen version in that beloved animated take has clearly shaped the emotional and character-driven tone that early test audiences are now responding to.

‘Clayface’ is scheduled for release on October 23, and will be part of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate, with filming having taken place in Liverpool and at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England. If these early reactions hold, DC may be heading toward a genuinely unsettling crowd-pleaser that sits far outside the traditional superhero mould.

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