Clayface (2026) — DC’s R-Rated Body-Horror Movie: Release Date, Cast & Trailer
Year: 2026 · Genre: Horror, Thriller · Status: Now in Theaters
He wanted his face back — and got something else entirely. Clayface follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a kid from Gotham’s streets who climbs all the way to Hollywood leading-man status, only to have it taken away in one violent night when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by everyone who used to return his calls, Matt turns to a cutting-edge experimental treatment from Dr. Caitlin Bates (Naomi Ackie) that miraculously restores his looks — but the fix comes with a price: his grip on reality starts to slip, his body starts to change, and the desperation curdles into an all-consuming need for revenge.
Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) from a screenplay by horror writer Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, this is DC Studios’ first-ever horror film — an R-rated body-horror tragedy about identity, fame, and what happens when the face you show the world stops being yours. In theaters October 23, 2026.
Reception: Rotten Tomatoes lists 76% (99 critics) and Metacritic lists 59/100. Critics praise Tom Rhys Harries as charismatic, chilling and genuinely moving, and Naomi Ackie alongside him; the film is described as closer to prestige horror than glossy franchise spectacle.
Details
- Director: James Watkins (Speak No Evil, Eden Lake, The Woman in Black)
- Writers: Mike Flanagan + Hossein Amini (screenplay); story by Mike Flanagan; based on characters from DC
- Producers: Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn, Peter Safran
- Cast: Tom Rhys Harries (Matt Hagen / Clayface), Naomi Ackie (Dr. Caitlin Bates), David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, Joshua James
- Cinematography: Rob Hardy; Music: Volker Bertelmann; Editor: Jon Harris
- Production: DC Studios, 6th & Idaho, The Safran Company; distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
- Release: October 23, 2026 (North America, theaters only); international from October 21, 2026
- Runtime: 108 min (1h 48m)
- Genre: Horror / Thriller (body horror, DC Universe)
- Rating: R (bloody violence, gore, language, nudity, drug use) — first R-rated DCU film in cinemas
- Language: English
- Budget: reported in the $30–40M range, with sources conflicting, so neither figure should be taken as certain
Universe note: Part of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters; a standalone story — NOT part of Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe (separate Elseworlds continuity), and no Batman appearance is expected.
Related: The Batman Part II — note that Clayface is DCU, not Reeves-verse, so the two films are in separate continuities.
Trailer
Watch the official final trailer above, or watch it on YouTube.
Cast
- Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen / Clayface
- Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlin Bates
- David Dencik
- Max Minghella
- Eddie Marsan
- Nancy Carroll
- Joshua James
