New Clayface Film Sparks Intrigue in DC Universe with Unique Storytelling
By Published Apr 22, 2026, 4:14 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
DC Studios has just released the first trailer for , giving us our best look yet at the first DCU Batman villain and the tragically horrific journey of struggling actor Matt Hagen. Played by Tom Rhys Harries, Hagen is set to be introduced as a struggling actor in Gotham who inadvertently receives a monstrous body transformation after a procedure to fix his face.
While it may seem odd as one of the DCU's very first movies after Superman and Supergirl, makes it clear that the new movie is going to be incredibly unique with a darkly compelling story, one that James Gunn and DC Studios clearly believe is worth telling with a script from Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins.
While the new movie teaser is fairly brief, it does feature some pretty big takeaways. Unlike Joaquin Phoenix's Joker movies, which were set in their own world and timeline, Clayface will be set in the greater interconnected DC Universe of projects. With that in mind, here's every major reveal and detail we found in Clayface's first official teaser from DC Studios.
“Do You Realize??”
The song playing in the background is a slower and more haunting version of "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips, a very fitting , especially considering the initial lyrics: "Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?" As an additional piece of fun trivia, the original version of the song was used in the first teaser for James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel Studios.
Bandaged Matt Hagen
The teaser is largely focused on Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen in a hospital bed, his face covered in bloody bandages. This is then intercut with quick shots that include Hagen being attacked as his face is cut by a knife, as well as what looks to be Hagen attending a movie premiere, confirming his prior work as a struggling actor in Gotham City.
Regenerative Experiments
We also see a shot of computers, x-rays, and the large injection of a serum, presumably the regenerative experimental compound given to Hagen in an attempt to fix his damaged face.
This confirms that the new Clayface movie looks to be heavily inspired by Hagen's origin in , as opposed to those in the original comics, where Hagen came into contact with protoplasm while scuba diving for sunken treasure.
In the animated series, Matt Hagen was similarly an actor whose face was disfigured. He was then given a formula to continuously apply called Renuyu by a corrupt businessman. Eventually, Matt is exposed to a massive dose of the compound, which then mutates him into Clayface. As such, it looks as though a similar experimental compound will be used, with the struggling actor background being lifted from Basil Karlo, the comics' first Clayface (Hagen was the second).
Horrific Side Effects
Various shots feature Matt Hagen's face melting like a wax candle, along with his lips and eyes sticking together. Likewise, the teaser culminates with a final shot of Hagen lying in the tub before wiping his entire face away. Clearly, Clayface is going to be a major body horror movie utilizing a pretty crazy mix of both practical and digital effects.
Amusement Mile
We also get a shot featuring posters for Amusement Mile, an often-abandoned section of Gotham City from the original DC Comics. On the page, Amusement Mile has long served as the site of frequent hideouts for Gotham rogues, predominantly The Joker, who naturally gravitates toward all the carnival remnants in disrepair.
The Narrows
Another shot features a Gotham City ferry in the harbor. Likewise, we can see "The Narrows" marked on the walkways to the docks, confirming the existence of the more run-down, older part of Gotham City. While it has since become part of Gotham in the comics, The Narrows were first created for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. In Nolan's trilogy, The Narrows was also the site of , though the comics changed this by placing Arkham on its own island in Gotham Harbor.
SR Screen Rant Interactive Quiz Screen Rant/ Movies/ Horror/ Quiz The Ultimate · Horror Quote Challenge Name That Horror Movie “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” ☠1960s 🔪1970s 👻1980s 💀1990s 🎭2000s ENTER IF YOU DARE → QUESTION 1 / 81990s PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR 01 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “I am your number one fan.” ASingle White Female (1992) BCape Fear (1991) CMisery (1990) DFatal Attraction (1987) ✓ Correct! Annie Wilkes’s obsessive declaration to author Paul Sheldon in Misery — Kathy Bates won the Oscar for this role. ✗ Not quite — it’s Misery (1990). Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes delivers this line before things get very, very painful for her favorite author. NEXT → QUESTION 2 / 81960s PROTO-SLASHER 02 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “We all go a little mad sometimes.” APeeping Tom (1960) BThe Birds (1963) CWhatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) DPsycho (1960) ✓ Correct! Norman Bates’s unsettling confession in Hitchcock’s Psycho — the film that invented the slasher. ✗ Not quite — it’s Psycho (1960). Norman Bates delivers this chilling line to Marion Crane before the shower scene changes cinema forever. NEXT → QUESTION 3 / 81980s PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR 03 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “Here’s Johnny!” AThe Amityville Horror (1979) BPoltergeist (1982) CThe Changeling (1980) DThe Shining (1980) ✓ Correct! Jack Nicholson’s terrifying ad-lib as he axes through the bathroom door in The Shining. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Shining (1980). Nicholson improvised this line while hacking through the door — Kubrick kept the cameras rolling. NEXT → QUESTION 4 / 81970s SUPERNATURAL HORROR 04 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “They’re all gonna laugh at you!” ACarrie (1976) BThe Exorcist (1973) CThe Omen (1976) DSuspiria (1977) ✓ Correct! Margaret White’s cruel warning to her daughter before prom night turns deadly in Carrie. ✗ Not quite — it’s Carrie (1976). Piper Laurie as Margaret White torments her telekinetic daughter with this prophetic warning. NEXT → QUESTION 5 / 81980s SLASHER 05 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.” AFriday the 13th (1980) BChild’s Play (1988) CHellraiser (1987) DA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) ✓ Correct! The eerie children’s jump-rope rhyme that haunts the dreams of Elm Street. ✗ Not quite — it’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The nursery rhyme warning of Freddy Krueger’s arrival. All five are iconic slashers, but only one invades your dreams. NEXT → QUESTION 6 / 82000s TORTURE HORROR 06 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “I want to play a game.” AHostel (2005) BSaw (2004) CThe Collector (2009) DCube (1997) ✓ Correct! Jigsaw’s signature greeting, delivered through his puppet Billy in Saw. ✗ Not quite — it’s Saw (2004). The Jigsaw Killer’s chilling invitation before his victims face impossible choices. NEXT → QUESTION 7 / 81970s SLASHER 07 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “It was the boogeyman.” ABlack Christmas (1974) BThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) CHalloween (1978) DWhen a Stranger Calls (1979) ✓ Correct! Laurie Strode’s terrified whisper to Dr. Loomis after surviving Michael Myers in Halloween. ✗ Not quite — it’s Halloween (1978). Laurie Strode whispers this to Dr. Loomis, who replies: “As a matter of fact, it was.” NEXT → QUESTION 8 / 81990s HORROR THRILLER 08 Which horror movie features this iconic line? “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” ASe7en (1995) BAmerican Psycho (2000) CRed Dragon (2002) DThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) ✓ Correct! Buffalo Bill’s skin-crawling command to his captive in The Silence of the Lambs. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Buffalo Bill delivers this disturbing line from his basement. All five films feature serial killers, but only one has this scene. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Body Count Your Survival Score 💀 / 8 Did you survive the horror quiz? ↻ SURVIVE AGAIN
First Look At DCU Gotham Skyline In Live Action
Additionally, that same shot of the ferry gives us our first look at the DCU's version of Gotham City itself. While Gotham was briefly featured in the animated Creature Commandos series (The DCU's first series) during Doctor Phosphorus' flashback scenes, this is our first live-action look at Batman's city in this brand-new interconnected universe.
It's actually quite remarkable that we'll soon see the origins of a major Batman villain and the Caped Crusader's home city, and all before the debut of Bruce Wayne himself (we still don't yet know ). While Batman technically made a small cameo in those same flashbacks, it was from a distance with very limited features beyond The Dark Knight's iconic silhouette.
Matt Hagen’s Love Interest
The new teaser for Clayface also gives us our first look at Naomi Ackie as Caitlyn Corr. While not appearing to be an original DC Comics character, we do know that Corr will be the biotech scientist who gives Hagen the experimental regenerative compound, while also becoming a key love interest of Hagen's over the course of the new DCU movie. It's likely that with Corr's help, Hagen will be able to gain more control over his new abilities over time, like maintaining his human form and the power to shape-shift into anyone he wants.
Gotham City Police
Near the end of the new DCU teaser, we get a shot of a Gotham City Police cruiser. While no major GCPD characters have been confirmed just yet, it wouldn't be surprising if we saw some familiar faces from the original comics in the new Clayface movie.
It would be pretty cool if we saw the DCU debuts of characters like Commissioner Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and/or Reneé Montoya, further establishing the world of Gotham City ahead of movie.
Clayface Forming Weapons
Shadows in a dark alleyway see Matt Hagen turning his arm into a spiked club, a classic move we've seen from DC's Clayface in the original comics, who's capable of turning his limbs into various weapons.
Additionally, this also suggests that we might eventually see Hagen as the hulking clay monster we're familiar with in the comics, as well as how he primarily appeared in the animated Creature Commandos series when he wasn't posing as a college professor.
That said, it will be interesting to perhaps learn when exactly Hagen's origins take place in the established DCU timeline in relation to other projects, like his animated Creature Commandos appearance fighting Rick Flagg Sr. and Eric Frankenstein.
Clayface is set to release in theaters on October 23rd from DC Studios.
Cast
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Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface -
Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates -
David Dencik -
Max Minghella
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