Clayface, the movie's plot

Clayface is the horror and fantasy movie coming out. The plot tells of Matt Hagen / Clayface (Tom Rhys Harries), an actor whose face is disfigured: Matt turns to a scientist, Caitlin Bates (Naomi Ackie) who transforms his body into clay.

Clayface, the movie's trailer

In the trailer released at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Matt is sitting in a hospital bed with his face bandaged and bloodied. He is attacked by a man armed with a knife and mysterious chemical substances are injected into him that give him his powers. Matt's face changes repeatedly, showing him at times without eyes or mouth, and in the final moments he is sitting in a bathtub, completely cleaning his face. There is also a shot in dim light where he wields an enormous mace-shaped fist.

Clayface, the comic it's based on

In the comics it's based on, Matt Hagen possesses temporary shapeshifting powers, can imitate voices and has a malleable body similar to clay, able to manipulate his physical features at will. He must immerse himself again in a pool of protoplasm that gave him the powers to recharge them every 48 hours, otherwise he would regress to his human form.

Clayface, the movie's cast

Tom Rhys Harries has acted in the TV series The Gentlemen and Suspicion. Naomi Ackie has worked on Blink Twice, Lady Macbeth and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: she is Dr. Caitlin Bates, a scientist relegated to the margins of the profession.

Max Minghella - already seen in Babylon, Spiral: From the Book of Saw and in episodes of The Handmaid's Tale - the Gotham City police detective who has a relationship with Bates. Also present is Jessica Grundle, who appeared in Midas Man.

Clayface, the movie's direction

The direction is by James Watkins, who has already directed Speak No Evil and episodes of McMafia. The screenplay is by Mike Flanagan, who has already written The Fall of the House of Usher and Doctor Sleep.

The screenplay is inspired by the DC Comics character of the same name, who first appeared in a 1940 issue of "Detective Comics": other characters have taken this name to fight Batman in various comics and different animated series. He has appeared on television in episodes of Gotham, Pennyworth and Birds of Prey, as well as in animated series like Harley Quinn, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Batman: Caped Crusader.

Clayface, the movie's filming and release date

The production is by DC Studios and 6th & Idaho Productions. Filming began in August 2025 in Liverpool to conclude in November, with the working title Corinthians: the Gotham-themed vehicles were kept at the former Merseyside police headquarters, and some locations included Derby Square - with the courthouse building serving as Gotham Hospital - North John Street - transformed into the Gotham Docks - Liverpool Central Library. Other spaces employed are Pier Head, the old Birkenhead tunnel, the nearby town of Wallasey - including the Seacombe ferry terminal - Marine Promenade outside Adventureland in the suburb of New Brighton, and a house on Tollemache Street was set up as an American house. Studio work took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden. The budget is approximately forty million dollars, and the movie releases on September 11, 2026.