# Clayface: A Body-Horror Reimagining of DCU's Villain
The first teaser for Clayface signals a bold pivot for the DCU, leaning into fear and transformation rather than straightforward heroics. The film follows Matt Hagen, portrayed by Tom Rhys Harries, a rising actor whose career is derailed after a violent knife attack. To reclaim his former allure, he undergoes an experimental procedure that goes catastrophically wrong, merging elements of the Clayface legacy—Basil Karlo, the original Clayface, with Hagen’s own storyline.
Clayface marks the third DCU installment overseen by James Gunn and deliberately sets itself apart from 2025’s Superman and this year’s Supergirl. Rather than spotlight a hero, it centers on a villain in a manner reminiscent of Joker’s intimate study of a troubled mind.
The trailer makes its intent unmistakable: this is a body-horror experience first, with superhero trappings second. Hagen’s face contorts, skin tears and recombines as the experimental treatment takes hold, culminating in a shot where he wipes his face away. The film is explicitly pitched as R-rated, signaling a shift toward visceral horror rather than conventional capes-and-powers fare.
Some of the most enigmatic frames hint at a torturous descent—knife-wounds and the unsettling moment his hands morph into a weapon, echoing his comic book alter ego. Clayface leans hard into body horror, signaling DC’s willingness to embrace darker territory on the big screen.
While DC has flirted with horror before—moments in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight saga and The Batman—this project aims to commit fully to the genre, at least in tone if not always in scale. The transformation at the core of Clayface is framed as a disintegration of self, a stark contrast to glamourous power fantasies.
With a script from Mike Flanagan (known for Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House) and direction by Eden Lake’s James Watkins, the film promises a different kind of dread—one built on identity, fear, and the fragility of shape-shifting horror. Fans of the genre should have plenty to savor when Clayface opens its doors to the DCU.
If you’re curious about what else is ahead, you can explore our picks for the most anticipated 2026 releases and our comprehensive 2026 movies calendar.