Warning: This post contains potential spoilers for DC Studios’ Clayface.
DC Studios’ Clayface recently had a test screening, and the reactions have dropped online. According to viewers, the film has received very positive reactions and is said to be a grounded psychological horror story. The film follows an actor’s dark descent into becoming a vengeful, shape-shifting monster.
According to insider @Cryptic4KQual, Clayface currently has a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. The “audience loved it.” The movie reportedly shares tonal similarities with Joker (2019), and the story is said to include influences and references to Vanilla Sky (2001), while some viewers also compared aspects of the film to The Substance (2024).
The transformation and body horror elements have reportedly drawn comparisons to The Incredible Hulk (2008).
It’s also been reported that there are no “full-body transformations,” as Hagen only shifts his limbs during rage-fueled, out-of-control attacks.
Here’s the plot details for Clayface:
Once the world’s most beloved actor, Matt Hagen’s (Tom Rhys Harries) glamorous life is shattered when a forbidden affair with a Gotham City mob boss’s wife leads to his brutal disfigurement.
Desperate to reclaim his shattered identity and his prized looks, Matt turns to a mysterious female doctor who administers an experimental underground drug. However, the miracle cure comes with a horrifying price: Triggered by deep sorrow, trauma, and fits of rage, Matt’s face begins to melt, slowly transforming him into a monstrous entity.
Now a fugitive hunted by the government after taking violent revenge on the mobsters who ruined his life, Matt’s grip on sanity begins to slip. He forms a twisted, obsessive bond with the doctor who treated him, eliminating anyone who stands in their way—including her husband. As she realizes the horrifying consequences of her experiment and attempts to stop him once and for all, Matt survives, setting the stage for a dark, tragic psychological thriller about vanity, heartbreak, and deadly obsession.
James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with a story by Flanagan, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn, and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Rafi Crohn, Paul Ritchie, Chantal Nong Vo, and Lars P. Winther serving as executive producers.
The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.
As reported by Feature First, Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul has a “minor role” in Clayface. For now, his character has not yet been revealed or officially announced by the studio.
Watkins’ creative team includes director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris, visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, costume designer Keith Madden, and casting director Lucy Bevan.
DC Studios presents, in association with Domain Entertainment, a 6th & Idaho Production, a James Watkins film, Clayface.
Clayface will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and released only in theaters and IMAX in North America on October 23, 2026, and internationally beginning October 21, 2026.
