Clayface (film)

Lore & Background

After expressing interest in a Clayface film for the DC Extended Universe, Mike Flanagan pitched the project to DC Studios in March 2023. The film was confirmed in December 2024 as part of the DCU. Flanagan was unable to direct due to scheduling issues; James Watkins was hired in February 2025. Filming took place from late August to early November 2025 in Liverpool and at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England.

Reader's Guide

Clayface is significant as the third film in the DC Universe, following the soft reboot of the DCEU. It represents a horror-leaning approach to a classic Batman villain, with a stripped-down budget of around $40 million. The film is set prior to Superman (2025) and is part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Its standalone story is described as very connected to the overarching DCU narrative.

Did You Know?

• Mike Flanagan first publicly expressed interest in a Clayface film in January 2021.
• The film was greenlit in December 2024 after Flanagan's pitch and script drafts won over James Gunn.
• Filming lasted from the end of August until the start of November 2025.
• The film is intended to be produced on a budget of around $40 million.

The Long Road to Greenlight

Flanagan first voiced his interest in a Clayface film in January 2021, citing his love of the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode "Feat of Clay" voiced by Ron Perlman. He had previously discussed a horror-leaning version with DC Films producer Jon Berg, but felt the meeting "kind of went nowhere." The landscape shifted dramatically when WarnerMedia merged with Discovery in April 2022, creating Warner Bros. Discovery under David Zaslav. Zaslav hired James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-chairs of the newly formed DC Studios in late October 2022, and they began planning a "soft reboot" of the DCEU. In March 2023, Flanagan and his Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy met with Gunn and Safran to pitch a Clayface film where the character would not be a villain. Gunn later explained he hadn't planned to make a Clayface film but was won over by Flanagan's pitch and script drafts. The project was officially greenlit in December 2024 as part of the DCU.

A Body Horror Vision

The film's premise centers on Matt Hagen, a rising movie star who, after being brutally disfigured, volunteers as a test subject to restore his face but suffers horrifying side-effects that transform his body into living clay. Flanagan originally envisioned the project as a horror film that was also a thriller and a tragedy, drawing direct inspiration from the 1992 animated series episode. In his pitch to DC Studios, he proposed that Clayface would not be portrayed as a villain, a deliberate departure from the comics. Producer Peter Safran confirmed the film would avoid a campy tone, instead comparing it to the 1986 horror film The Fly. The production was intended to operate on a "stripped down" budget of approximately $40 million. Naomi Ackie plays Dr. Caitlin Corr, described as a "fringe" scientist compared to Elizabeth Holmes, who serves as Hagen's love interest and the one who transforms his body. The character was first introduced to the DCU in the animated series Creature Commandos (2024–25), voiced by Alan Tudyk.

Behind the Camera

Although Flanagan developed the screenplay and was initially attached to direct, scheduling conflicts with his commitments to the 2027 film The Exorcist: Martyrs and the 2026 miniseries Carrie forced him to step away from the director's chair. He described it as the first time in his career he had to leave a project he was passionate about due to scheduling concerns. DC Studios explored other options, with J. A. Bayona reportedly in consideration by the end of 2024. By the week of February 17, 2025, the studio was hearing pitches from potential directors, including James Watkins, who was ultimately hired that same month. Hossein Amini joined to rewrite the script by May 2025. Tom Rhys Harries was cast as Matt Hagen in June, with additional casting following in subsequent months. The film is produced by Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris alongside Gunn and Safran, with Reeves's company 6th & Idaho Motion Picture Company also involved.

Filming and Release

Principal photography ran from the end of August through the start of November 2025. The production shot on location throughout Liverpool, England, and utilized soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. The film is scheduled for a United States release by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 23, 2026, and will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Initially, the studio had scheduled the film for September 11, 2026, shortly after the greenlight was revealed in December 2024. The project navigated a complex corporate landscape: it was pitched during the transition from the DCEU to the new DCU, and at one point it was unclear whether it would fall under the DCU or the "DC Elseworlds" label associated with Reeves's The Batman franchise. Flanagan did not pitch his project as connected to Reeves's films, and the character was expected to appear in The Batman: Part II (2027) separately. The final film stands as the third entry in the DCU.

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