A new trailer has arrived for "Clayface," the upcoming DC Studios feature directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. "Darkman" vibes. Tom Rhys Harries leads the film in the title role.
I have no idea how this one will turn out. It's very hard to tell, even with a few trailers now in the bank. The marketing has leaned so heavily on mood and gross-out moments that it's still unclear whether there's any depth to this thing, and a tragic-villain origin story lives or dies on that.
This is not standard superhero fare. Instead, it appears to be leaning fully into horror territory, with the project shaped as a darker, R-rated spin on its source material. That rating choice suggests, hopefully, fewer shackles, a looser creative framework, and a willingness to push into more extreme, body-horror-inflected storytelling.
The story centers on a rising movie actor who turns to a mysterious substance in a desperate bid to stay relevant, a premise that inevitably invites comparisons to recent body-horror cinema exploring fame, identity, and physical transformation.
The film carries a modest budget of roughly $40M and is currently tracking for an opening in the low-to-mid $20M range, which could climb if good reviews come its way. James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU needs to bounce back after "Supergirl."
Watkins's credits include the notoriously brutal Eden Lake, the gothic hit The Woman in Black, standout television work on Black Mirror ("Shut Up and Dance"), and the recent English-language remake of Speak No Evil.
Clayface arrives in theaters on October 23, 2026, from Warner Bros. and DC Studios.
The film will star Hugh Jackman, while Hugh Grant and Owen Cooper are circling roles. Jack Thorne, who is red-hot, thanks to his acclaimed Netflix series’ "Adolescence” and “Lord of the Flies,” wrote the script.