New Reports Reveal Details About Upcoming ‘Clayface’ Movie

A new Clayface movie is officially happening, and now fresh details are coming out about what fans can expect from the film. New report from Nexus Point News claims Clayface will be a dark, body horror story about a struggling actor who ends up becoming a monster made entirely of clay.

The movie was first imagined by filmmaker Mike Flanagan, known for The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep. Flanagan had been interested in Clayface since 2021 and pitched the idea to DC several times.

In 2023, he met with DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran to discuss the project. Interestingly, Clayface won’t be a typical villain in this film, which is different from how he’s usually shown in the comics. Safran has compared the tone of the movie to the classic horror film The Fly from 1986.

In December 2024, DC Studios finally approved Flanagan’s script and confirmed that the film will be part of the new DC Universe. Matt Reeves, who directed The Batman, is producing the movie through his company 6th & Idaho Productions, alongside Lynn Harris. Sadly for fans of Flanagan’s horror style, he won’t be directing because he’s busy working on his upcoming Exorcist film and a Carrie miniseries.

In early 2025, James Watkins, known for Speak No Evil, was brought in as the director. Around the same time, Hossein Amini was hired to work on a new version of Flanagan’s script. Casting news followed in June 2025 when Tom Rhys Harries, known for White Lines and Suspicion, was officially chosen to play Clayface. He beat out other actors like Tom Blyth, George Mackay, Jack O’Connell, and Leo Woodall for the role.

Clayface’s story in the film will focus on Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming Hollywood actor who originally comes from Gotham City. After being attacked and disfigured, Hagen tries to escape his past by building a new life in Hollywood.

However, after his disfigurement ruins his career, he turns into a shapeshifting monster made of clay. The film will mix Hagen’s character from the comics with elements of another version of Clayface, Basil Karlo. Flanagan has said the film was inspired by the two-part Batman: The Animated Series episode Feat of Clay.

Nexus Point News describes Hagen as a “handsome young actor” who loses everything after his accident. In the movie, Hagen’s main connection to humanity will be through Dr. Caitlin Bates, an original character created just for the film.

Bates is a scientist and CEO of a biotech startup working on experimental medical technology. She sees Hagen’s condition as a chance to develop her company’s treatments, but as she tries to help him, the two fall in love. Bates’s fiancé John, a detective, starts to grow suspicious of her relationship with Hagen.

The movie’s villain will be a crime boss character, also created specifically for this story. Right now, no well-known DC characters like Batman are expected to appear in the movie. Instead, the film is designed as a personal, character-focused horror story centered on Hagen’s tragic transformation.

Alan Tudyk, who voices Clayface in the animated shows Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos, will not be returning to play the character in this live-action version. As explained by reports, Tudyk’s role in those shows isn’t considered part of his main DCU work.

Filming for Clayface is set to start in August 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England. The movie will hit theaters on September 11, 2026, as part of DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

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