First Clayface Trailer: The Batman Villain Goes Full Body Horror

Making Superman the focus of the first film in the DC Universe was a no-brainer. The new "Supergirl" trailer feels tonally similar to 2025's "Superman," with the second DCU movie set to explore the more cosmic side of this franchise. You might think the third film would be something like "Wonder Woman" or maybe even "Batman," but you'd be wrong. Instead, we're diving headfirst into body horror territory with the villain-centric "Clayface," coming to cineplexes on October 23, 2026. 

The trailer opens with Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) in a hospital with bandages all over his face. There are several quick cuts of various visceral images, like a face getting sliced and injections taking place. This is no doubt part of the procedure that gives Hagen the shape-shifting abilities Clayface is known for. Of course, the truth behind Clayface is that the original iteration in 1940 was just a normal guy using "Clayface" as a name, but most people — especially those who grew up on "Batman: The Animated Series" — will want to see the version that can turn into anybody. 

The "Clayface" trailer ends with a stark image of Hagen wiping his face from his forehead to his chin. When he moves his hand, his facial features (eyes, nose, mouth) are completely gone. It's the kind of image that really sticks with you. After seeing the trailer, we're confident in our prediction that "Clayface" is going to be among the movies that will blow you away in 2026. 

For horror aficionados, the fact that Mike Flanagan (creator of TV shows like "The Haunting of Bly Manor" and "Midnight Mass") has co-written the script for "Clayface" bodes very well. And he's not the only exciting name attached to the project: The film is directed by James Watkins, who previously made "Speak No Evil," and in addition to Tom Rhys Harries, "Clayface" will feature Naomi Ackie ("Blink Twice"), Max Minghella ("Spiral"), and David Dencik ("No Time to Die"). 

When Peter Safran (the co-head of DC Studios alongside James Gunn) debuted the new footage at CinemaCon, he admitted that Clayface isn't widely known yet. But even if Clayface has never appeared in a live-action film and therefore isn't familiar to casual viewers, DC fans are well aware of the character. "Batman: The Animated Series" leaned into the horror-like nature of the character and themes of lost identity, and, more recently, he showed up as a dimwitted and pretentious actor in the "Harley Quinn" cartoon.

The "Clayface" trailer uses a slowed-down version of "Do You Realize" by The Flaming Lips, which contains the lyrics "Do you realize that You have the most beautiful face?" It absolutely nails the assignment in getting people hyped for the next film in the DCU. It doesn't seem like "Clayface" will connect to "Superman," "Supergirl," or any of the DCU TV shows, but maybe that's for the best. The DCU is just starting out, and there's no need to bog viewers down with homework so quickly.