The final trailer for Clayface has landed, giving the clearest look yet at how DC Studios reimagines one of Batman’s most tragic villains as the lead of a full-blown horror thriller. The footage follows former Hollywood star Matt Hagen as an experimental treatment restores his ruined face, then pulls him apart from the inside.
Quick answer: The final trailer is out now. Clayface opens in North American theaters and IMAX on October 23, 2026, with international showings beginning October 21, 2026.
Clayface release date by region
The film is a theatrical-only release from Warner Bros. Pictures, with North American screenings including IMAX. International markets open two days earlier.
| Region | Release date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| International | October 21, 2026 | Theaters |
| North America | October 23, 2026 | Theaters and IMAX |
Full details and ticketing information live on the official Clayface movie page.
What the final trailer shows
The trailer opens in a doctor’s office, where Hagen wears a translucent mask and is asked to reveal his face. He peels it off, setting up a story built around a lost identity and a body that no longer holds its shape.
From there, the trailer traces his path from celebrity to monster. Flashbacks show his glamorous life as a rising screen actor before a brutal attack leaves him disfigured. Desperate, he signs up for a human trial and lets a scientist inject an experimental morphing compound directly into his scarred face.
The procedure appears to work. Hagen convulses, then recovers with restored skin and says he feels great. The scientist warns that the side effects are unknown, and they arrive fast. On a flight, his face begins to sag and distort, and he inspects the damage in the lavatory mirror.
The final stretch leans hard into body horror. Hagen sees his melting face reflected in neon signs, his feet dissolve into thick grey mud on the street, and he collapses into a bathtub as his flesh softens into clay. The trailer confirms that the classic Clayface design appears in full, and closes on his monstrous form.
The story of Matt Hagen
From a street-kid upbringing in Gotham, Matt Hagen reaches Hollywood stardom until a local crime boss horribly disfigures him. With his team gone and nothing remaining, he undergoes an advanced treatment to reclaim his former self, but the process damages his grip on reality and sends him into all-consuming revenge.
The film frames this as a study of lost humanity, corrosive love, and the darker side of scientific ambition, rather than a straightforward supervillain origin.
Clayface cast
Tom Rhys Harries leads as Matt Hagen, supported by an ensemble of British and international actors.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Rhys Harries | Matt Hagen / Clayface |
| Naomi Ackie | Main cast |
| David Dencik | Main cast |
| Max Minghella | Main cast |
| Eddie Marsan | Main cast |
| Nancy Carroll | Main cast |
| Joshua James | Main cast |
Harries has described the final creature design as heavily guarded during production and praised how it came out, and he has spoken about filming with part of his face appearing to disintegrate on camera.
Director, writers, and producers
James Watkins is the director, with Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini credited for the screenplay. The story comes from Flanagan and features characters from DC. Key crew and production information appears below.
- Director: James Watkins
- Screenplay: Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, story by Mike Flanagan
- The producing team is Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn, and Peter Safran.
- Director of photography: Rob Hardy
- Production designer: James Price; editor: Jon Harris
- Visual effects supervisor: Angus Bickerton; costume designer: Keith Madden
The film comes from DC Studios in association with Domain Entertainment as a 6th & Idaho Production, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
An R-rated entry in the DCU
Clayface is rated R and marks the third big-screen entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, following Superman and Supergirl. It also brings one of Batman’s classic rogues to the screen before the rebooted Caped Crusader has been cast.
The rating reflects strong violence, gore, nudity, and language, and the horror focus sets it apart from the studio’s more traditional superhero releases.