Clayface Trailer Breakdown: Is Batman in the New DCU Movie?

DC Studios has unveiled the first teaser for Clayface, the third major feature release under its banner. More importantly, it doesn’t resemble traditional CBM fare, as the movie isn’t shying away from embracing the character’s body horror roots.

Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan, the story appears to draw heavily from Matt Hagen’s iteration of the character from Batman: The Animated Series, which also served as inspiration for Flanagan’s script. As for the teaser, although brief, it does an impeccable job of bringing Hagen’s tragedy to life on the big screen, and judging by each frame, there’s still a lot left to unpack.

Here’s an overview of every major easter egg from the brief teaser:

1 Matt Hagen is a Hollywood Sweetheart

Unlike Basil Karlo, who is often portrayed as a struggling actor whose past fame drives him over the edge, Tom Rhys Harries, in the brief teaser, is depicted as a Hollywood sweetheart with a major following.

This closely resembles the backstory of Matt Hagen from the iconic Batman: The Animated Series episode. Unlike Karlo, Hagen is shown as a successful figure in show business, which further amplifies the tragedy of his fall. It also allows audiences to root for him as he gradually devolves into something far more insidious.

2 Joker’s Lair

The teaser also offers a glimpse at Amusement Mile, the iconic shoreline theme park that often serves as the hideout for Gotham’s thugs, most famously for Joker, as he tends to use it as a base of operations due to its carnival theme.

It has often served as a major setting for conflicts in Batman lore, appearing not only in comics but also in titles like Batman: Arkham City. Hopefully, we’ll see it used in a more prominent way once the Clown Prince of Crime himself makes his presence felt in the DCU.

3 Naomi Ackie as Caitlyn Corr

Caitlyn Corr is not only the love interest of Matt Hagen, but also a fringe biotech scientist responsible for the regenerative compound used to treat him in the film.

Played by Naomi Ackie, it appears their relationship will be key to Hagen learning to understand and control his newfound abilities as the story moves forward.

4 Matt Learning to Control His Powers

The short teaser sees Hagen seemingly struggling to control his newfound abilities for the most part, as he repeatedly fails to keep his face stable, and one scene in particular sees his facial features melting while he stares into a mirror.

But halfway to the teaser, Hagen starts to become more familiar with his powers, as his face appears more structured, and he grows more confident in using these abilities. The final shot in particular reinforces this transformation, as he’s able to wipe his face completely off with no struggle, which is not only unsettling in the best way possible but also suggests he has become more adept at controlling his skills.

5 First Look at Gotham

While we did technically get a first look at the DCU’s Gotham back in Creature Commandos, we finally see the city in live-action in all its glory, or lack thereof, in the brief teaser. The brief shot of the Gotham shoreline sees Gotham’s most corrupt city covered in industrial smoke and clouds, and it feels like a stark contrast to Reeves’ Gotham.

It’ll be interesting to see whether this also features Batman’s appearance, similar to how Creature Commandos teased the Caped Crusader. Although it’s unlikely we’ll get a full reveal in this horror, given that it is set in Gotham, hopefully, we’ll at least see the Caped Crusader in silhouette from Matt Hagen’s perspective.

6 Clayface Morphs Weapons From His Hands

Considering the movie boasts a relatively low budget of $40 million (via THR), there were initial doubts about whether we would see Clayface’s powers in full as depicted in the animated series.

Even though it appears to be a more grounded story that will largely follow Matt’s struggle to come to terms with his new persona, the teaser does hint at his traditional abilities. In the comics, the character is no stranger to morphing his body into different weapons, and the teaser also shows him creating a weapon from his hand. Whether this will be the extent of his morphing capabilities in this story remains to be seen.

Movie	Clayface
Director	James Watkins
Writer	Mike Flanagan
Cast	Eddie Marsan, Max Minghella, Naomi Ackie

All in all, this is shaping up to be a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated genre, and given how successful horrors have been in recent years, especially for WB, this is shaping up to be a major win for both the DC Studios and CBM fans.

Are you excited for this horror from DC? Comment below!

Clayface debuts in theaters on October 23, 2026.