The pre-production for DC’s Clayface has begun in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with filming set to begin on October 1, 2025.
From the set images leaked from Liverpool, it is seen that Liverpool is becoming the architecture as the backdrop for Gotham City. See the images below.
The film is directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Based on the DC Comics villain of the same name, it will be the DCU’s third film and the sixth installment of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Described as a “Hollywood horror story,” it follows a B-movie actor who injects himself with an experimental substance to stay relevant—only to mutate into a shape-shifting, violent clay monster.
In the film, Tom Rhys Harries will play the role of Matt Hagen/Clayface, and Naomi Ackie has been cast in an undisclosed role.
Here are the plot details for Clayface:
Clayface follows an aspiring actor (Harries) whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort, he turns to a fringe, Elizabeth Holmes–style scientist for help. At first, the experiment is successful, but… well, it wouldn’t be a horror movie if the story ended right there, would it?”
During a recent CBS Mornings interview (via ScreenRant), James Gunn said, “We’ve got Clayface, which is a totally different thing.” He added, “Although it’s in the same universe, it’s a complete horror film. That’s one of the things we want to do—there’s not a company style. It’s not like every movie is going to be like Superman. The artists—the directors and the writers—each one will bring their own sense to it… That’s what we want to bring to the films because we don’t want people to get bored. We want to invigorate people.”
During the DC Studios presentation, DC Studios heads Gunn and Peter Safran explained why Clayface is part of the DCU rather than Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga. “Clayface is totally DCU,” Gunn confirmed.
Safran further clarified: “The only things that are in Matt’s world, his Crime Saga that he’s telling, are the Batman trilogy and the Penguin series—that’s in that lane. So, still under DC Studios, still under us. We have an incredible relationship with Matt, but those are the only things.”
Clayface is scheduled to hit theaters on September 11, 2026.
