There’s a first for everything, and the same goes for DC Studios. After establishing superhero films and shows as its bread and butter, the studio is making its first-ever foray into the horror thriller genre, with the teaser for Clayface going all in on unsettling, chilling overtones.
The one-minute clip is framed around a haunting close-up image of the titular villain’s bloodied, bandaged face and a wide-open eye peeking out from beneath, before transitioning into flashes of other scenes: him in different locations, pre-disfigured, then watching helplessly as his face melts into various forms.
“Clayface unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition,” reads the official description for the film.
Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries plays Clayface, joined by supporting cast members Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, Joshua James, and more. Mike Flanagan, the horror auteur behind The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, serves as scriptwriter on the film, which is directed by Speak No Evil helmer James Watkins. DC Studios co-heads Peter Safran and James Gunn are also on board as producers, alongside Matt Reeves (The Batman) and Lynn Harris (Se7en, The Notebook).
Similar to 2019’s Joker, the movie is touted as an origin story for a Batman supervillian and will likely carry an R rating. While Clayface has appeared in various media over the years, including HBO’s Harley Quinn series and Creature Commandos, voiced by Alan Tudyk, this forthcoming feature marks his official debut in the new DC Universe. In the comics, he was first introduced as a moderately successful actor who adopted the identity of a character he’d portrayed in a horror pic after turning to crime.
Clayface, previously dated for 11 September, now shapeshifts into theatres on 23 October.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
