Photo Credit: DC Comics
DC Studios and the Clayface team are building anticipation one carefully crafted tease at a time ahead of the film’s first trailer drop. The studio revealed a subtle but deliberate first look at Tom Rhys Harries’ Matt Hagen, choosing to spotlight the man before the monster in a move that says more than it shows.
DC reveals first look at Clayface movie
DC Studios has released the first official look at its upcoming Clayface movie, revealing star Tom Rhys Harries as struggling actor Matt Hagen on an in-universe magazine cover.
The promotional image establishes Hagen’s public persona before his transformation into the monstrous villain. Rumors suggest the teaser trailer will arrive online as early as Wednesday, April 22.
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The trailer previously screened at CinemaCon last week, offering attendees an early glimpse at the film’s body-horror direction. Footage reportedly showed Hagen in a hospital bed with a bandaged face before mysterious chemicals give him his shapeshifting powers. The teaser culminated with Hagen sitting in a bathtub and wiping away his entire face.
Mike Flanagan penned the script, with Speak No Evil director James Watkins set to helm the project. James Gunn will produce alongside Peter Safran and The Batman director Matt Reeves. Screenwriter Hossein Amini, known for 2011’s Drive, recently joined the project for rewrites.
The film’s story will “center on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster.” As a last resort, the actor turns to a fringe scientist for experimental treatment that goes horrifically wrong. Additionally, Peter Safran has described the film as a full-on horror movie in the vein of David Cronenberg’s The Fly and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance.
Meanwhile, Max Minghella stars as John, a Gotham City detective suspicious of his fiancée’s relationship with Hagen. Naomi Ackie plays Caitlin Bates, a biotech CEO who treats Hagen after a mobster leaves him disfigured.
Furthermore, Warner Bros. recently shifted the film’s release to October 23, 2026, positioning it squarely in the Halloween season. Lynn Harris and Chantal Nong serve as executive producers on the project.
