Clayface (2026)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The story
After being brutally disfigured, a rising movie star named Matt Hagen volunteers as a test subject to restore his original face. He turns to a scientist, Dr. Caitlyn Corr, who uses a process to transform his body into clay. However, the procedure results in a series of horrifying side-effects, causing Hagen to begin losing his sanity as he becomes unable to recognize himself. The film explores his transformation into a being of living clay while navigating the consequences of his desperate attempt at restoration.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being brutally disfigured, a rising movie star named Matt Hagen volunteers as a test subject to restore his original face. He turns to a scientist, Dr. Caitlyn Corr, who uses a process to transform his body into clay. However, the procedure results in a series of horrifying side-effects, causing Hagen to begin losing his sanity as he becomes unable to recognize himself. The film follows his transformation into a being of living clay. The story is an origin story for the character Clayface, who is not portrayed as a villain in this iteration but as a tragic figure. The narrative is set in a world where the character's existence is connected to the broader DCU universe, specifically occurring before the events of the film 'Superman' (2025).
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Watkins
- Writers
- Mike Flanagan · screenplay; Hossein Amini · screenplay; Mike Flanagan · story
- Cast and characters
- Tom Rhys Harries · Matt Hagen / Clayface; Naomi Ackie · Dr. Caitlyn Corr; Max Minghella · John Borrelli; Eddie Marsan · undisclosed; David Dencik · undisclosed
- Genres
- body horror; horror; thriller; tragedy; science fiction horror; science fiction thriller
- Themes
- identity; body horror; tragedy
- Tone and mood
- horror; thriller; tragic
- Premise and plot tags
- origin story; body horror; superhero horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Reception
- The film is intended to be a serious horror and thriller, specifically compared to the film 'The Fly' (1986) rather than having a campy tone.
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for release on September 11, 2026, but was pushed back to October 23, 2026, to take advantage of the Halloween period.; The character Matt Hagen is the second incarnation of Clayface in the comics.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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