Warner Bros. has pushed the DC Studios film “Clayface” from Sept. 11 to Oct. 23, 2026. Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film is now fully set up as a Halloween option for moviegoers.
I’ll be curious to see how this one turns out as it’s not your typical DC project — if anything they’re aiming for horror vibes here. The R-rating will also likely result in less restrictions, more creative freedom.
Tom Rhys Harries plays the titular lead role. The studio chose the rising Welsh actor over the likes of Jack O’Connell and George MacKay.
“Clayface” had gone through a complete script overhaul. Reportedly, Flanagan submitted a draft, but it was still in early form, as his focus has now shifted to his “Carrie” series for Prime Video. Amini (“Drive”) was brought on to rewrite the script. No word yet on whether Amini and Flanagan will share co-screenwriting credits.
The story follows a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant — didn’t Coralie Fargeat already make this film? Regardless, James Gunn has just confirmed that the aim is for an R-rating and the budget for “Clayface” will be a very modest $40M. That’s promising.
Cronenberg would have had a field day with this material, but I doubt his name even crossed Gunn’s mind during the hiring process. Watkins’ directing credits include the brutal debut “Eden Lake,” the Daniel Radcliffe-led gothic hit “The Woman in Black” (underrated!), TV work like “Black Mirror” (“Shut Up and Dance”) and most recently the English-language remake of “Speak No Evil.”
Up next for the DCU is “Supergirl,” set for June 26 release, while Gunn will be shooting his ‘Superman’ sequel in April.
I should warn you: based on everything I’ve heard, this teaser is a total misdirection. The movie is not at all what it’s being portrayed as here. In fact, most of the footage in the teaser comes from the first few minutes of the film.