Back in 2025, the DCU was off to a fantastic start thanks to the release of James Gunn's Superman, which was released to great critical acclaim. Interestingly enough, the movies to follow such a hit weren't centered around big superheroes like Batman or Wonder Woman, which would have been guaranteed hits. Instead, the studio opted to craft its own path with Supergirl and another film that doesn't even star a superhero in the first place. Move aside, good guys, because it's time for a terrorizing threat to walk onto the stage and steal the spotlight.
Clayface will follow Matt Hagen, a rising star who was perfectly positioned to take over Hollywood... until a horrifying accident completely disfigured his face. In his search to recover what was lost, Matt is bound to subject himself to an experimental procedure that will have very unfortunate side effects. Batman fans are already familiar with Clayface, but the iconic villain has never appeared in a live-action project before, let alone been the star of his own film. It's a bold move for the DCU to release an R-rated, body-horror project as its third movie, but it seems that this risk may pay off.
Audiences reportedly "loved" Clayface after a test screening
Insider Cryptic HD QUALITY has a very reliable record when it comes to breaking down how long a project is. The source accurately revealed the episode runtimes of Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Noir before their respective releases. Now, they have revealed that Clayface is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes long. Furthermore, the upcoming DCU project is reportedly testing off the charts.
Audiences "loved" Clayface, with some stating that it has similar vibes to the first Joker movie, Vanilla Sky, The Substance, and The Incredible Hulk (2008). The comparison to The Substance certainly doubles down on the idea that we'll watch a slightly uncomfortable body-horror movie, as Matt Hagen will turn into a literal being made of clay. That will allow him to turn his arms into weapons as well as completely erase his face, as seen in the film's first official trailer.
The first Joker movie successfully conveys a feeling of uneasiness in most of its sequences while simultaneously making audiences sympathize with its titular character, despite him being a villain. Perhaps the most intriguing comparison would be that to The Incredible Hulk. Maybe Clayface will paint Matt Hagen as more of an antihero than a bad guy? Or maybe we'll see the former superstar on the run for most of the film's runtime.
It will be interesting to see how Clayface performs at the box office. While positive word-of-mouth marketing will certainly help, Clayface isn't necessarily the most popular Batman villain ever created (at least not like Bane, the Joker, Mr. Freeze, or other similar characters). Furthermore, the fact that the film will be R-rated will definitely limit how much it can gross, as kids—who are often the target audience of superhero movies—won't be able to see it.
Granted, projects like Deadpool & Wolverine and Logan prove there's a lot of success to be found with more mature projects. However, those projects starred A-list characters that most of the world recognizes in a heartbeat, yet the same cannot be said about Matt Hagen. On the bright side, smaller horror films like Obsession and Backrooms have found surprising success at the box office, so maybe a similar story will be in store for Clayface, especially if reactions are positive.
Only time will tell what the critical and commercial reception of Clayface will be like, but so far, it seems like we're off to a fantastic start.
Clayface will be released on Oct. 23, 2026.
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