WATCH: 'Clayface' First Trailer: Batman Villain Horror Movie
Clayface will be the next entry in the long-running history of Batman villains going on their own cinematic journey without the Dark Knight involved.
The Gotham City-set film, starring Tom Rhys Harries as a disfigured actor turned monster, is written by the great Mike Flanagan (Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep), who pitched the project to DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. The screenplay also had rewrites from Hossein Amini (Drive).
Clayface will take heavy inspiration, story-wise, from “Feat of Clay,” the critically acclaimed two-part episode of Batman: The Animated Series. By all accounts, the DC movie, directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil, Eden Lake), will have a much darker tone, creating one of the first true horror movies set in a superhero universe.
Mike Flanagan says he was inspired by 'BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES' when writing the 'CLAYFACE' script
— ScreenTime (@screentime) November 17, 2025
"For me, it all goes back to the animated series. 'Batman: The Animated Series' is art"
(via: ScreenRant) pic.twitter.com/nq0hf93etF
James Gunn described the screenplay by Flanagan as an "amazing body horror film."
Attendees at CinemaCon last week were shown the first footage and have raved on social media since.
After no promotion at all, three teaser images dropped this week, hinting at the plot. Now, the first trailer for the highly anticipated horror tragedy set in the world of Batman has dropped.
Watch the trailer below:
The first official poster for Clayface was released online today as well, setting the tone for the dark story to come.
#ClayfaceMovie only in theaters October 23. pic.twitter.com/CwgZFYQSXK
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 22, 2026
In an interview with CBS Mornings, co-head of the DCU James Gunn made clear the studio’s intentions to make a real horror film.
“And then we got Clayface, which is like a totally different thing,” Gunn said. “Although it’s in the same universe, it’s a complete horror film. That’s one of the things we want to do … there’s not a company style. It’s not like every movie is going to be like Superman.”
Clayface is confirmed to be R-rated, from Gunn himself. The film will debut in theaters the week before Halloween, on Oct. 23. Perfect timing.