DC Studios has unveiled the first trailer for “Clayface”, signalling a darker, horror-driven direction for its expanding cinematic universe.
The film marks a stylistic shift for the studio as it explores the tragic origins of one of Batman’s most infamous villains through a body horror lens.
Based on the Batman comics character, “Clayface” follows Hollywood actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), who turns to an experimental procedure after a disfiguring accident.
Set to a distorted version of The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??”, the trailer starts with Hagen lying in a hospital bed, his face maimed and covered in bandages.
The shot of Clayface is interlaced with what happens before he turned to villainy, from being a charming star, to the accident, the procedure that transformed his skin and how he navigates his new abilities.
Aside from Harries, “Clayface” also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James.
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Comic origins
First appearing in 1940, Clayface has had multiple incarnations in DC Comics, with the movie version seemingly a mix of the first two versions, namely Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen.
Karlo, who first appeared in Batman’s “Detective Comics”, is a disgruntled, murderous actor using the mask of his previous character after being left out of a movie.
Hagen, the second version of Clayface, appeared in 1961. He was a treasure hunter who accidentally exposed himself to a mysterious radioactive pool of protoplasm in a cave, resulting in him having a clay-like form that he can shape into anything.
The film appears to echo themes explored in the “Feat of Clay” episodes in the “Batman: The Animated Series” in which Hagen, who uses a chemical to reshape his face after an accident, was turned into Clayface after being forced to ingest large amounts of the said substance.
From pitch rejection to greenlight
Writer Mike Flanagan, known for his works like “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Doctor Sleep”, previously revealed he had pitched a version of the story inspired by the “Feat of Clay” episodes from “Batman: The Animated Series”, but it was initially rejected during the earlier DC Extended Universe era.
However, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran later approved the project despite Gunn initially stating a Clayface film was not part of the studio’s immediate plans.
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