| Release date | October 23, 2026 |
| Director | James Watkins |
| Writers | Hossein Amini, Mike Flanagan |
| Main cast | Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Sam Hazeldine, Sonita Henry, Tanya Moodie, Ruby Sear |
| Rating | R |
| Runtime | 1 hour and 50 minutes (unconfirmed) |
| Genre | Body Horror, Monster Horror, Showbiz Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller |
| Where to watch | Theaters October 23, 2026; HBO Max likely to follow (US), Crave likely (Canada), neither confirmed |
| Summary | After a brutal attack leaves a promising actor disfigured, he turns to an experimental cure that has a horrifying side effect. Now, Matt Hagen is about to become something Gotham City has never seen before, and there’s no turning back. |
When a rising actor is disfigured, he makes a desperate decision that inadvertently turns him into Gotham City’s newest nightmare. “Clayface” 2026 is DC Studios’ first true horror release, and it’s shaping up to be one of the boldest, most stomach-turning comic book movies to reach the big screen. Built around a shapeshifting Batman villain with more than eight decades of comic history, the film swaps capes and punches for body horror, practical effects, and a story about fame curdling into obsession.
At StreamSafely, we track every major release so our readers always know what’s worth watching and how to watch it the right way. Highly anticipated movies like this one tend to attract more than just excited fans. They also draw scammers running known piracy sites hoping to trick viewers and access their personal online data.
As “Clayface” (2026) approaches, we’ll walk you through the cast, the plot, the people behind the camera, and what to expect once the film eventually leaves theaters and lands on legitimate streaming platforms, so you can skip the pop-up ads and malware and go straight to a source you can trust.
Everything You Should Know Before Seeing Clayface (2026)
Clayface has been part of Batman’s rogues gallery since almost the very beginning. The character debuted as Basil Karlo, a washed-up horror actor who snapped after being passed over for a remake of his own film, in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940, when Batman himself was just getting started. Karlo had no powers at first, just a mask and a grudge.
It wasn’t until 1961’s Detective Comics #298 that a second Clayface, treasure hunter Matt Hagen, gained the shapeshifting, clay-like body the character is best known for today. Over the decades, several other characters have taken up the Clayface name, but Hagen’s version became the template most people recognize. Pop culture cemented that image in 1992, when “Batman: The Animated Series” aired its two-part episode “Feat of Clay,” recasting Hagen as a washed-up actor undone by a dangerous cosmetic treatment.
The Story Behind the Script
Screenwriter Mike Flanagan has pointed directly to that story as a major point of reference for the new film, telling ComicBook that his script leans on the tragedy and body horror baked into Hagen’s animated origin. Flanagan, best known for “The Haunting of Hill House” (2018) and “Doctor Sleep” (2019), wrote the original script before handing rewrites to “Drive” (2011) screenwriter Hossein Amini so he could focus on other horror projects.
The new film reimagines Matt Hagen as a rising Hollywood actor whose career is cut short when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. With nowhere left to turn, he undergoes an experimental procedure that momentarily restores his face before sending him down a path of revenge that costs him his humanity along the way. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Hagen, with Naomi Ackie playing the scientist behind his transformation.
A New Kind of DC Movie
Not only has this movie reportedly received an R rating, a departure from other DC Universe (DCU) films, but it’s also creating buzz around the decision to build an entire comic book movie around body horror rather than treating it as a single scary scene. Director James Watkins cited the works of Sam Raimi and Brian De Palma as reference points, telling Empire that he admired their ability to walk a line where audiences think, “This is extreme,” while still finding it enjoyable rather than grim.
That’s a sharp turn from earlier Clayface appearances. Previously, the character was portrayed as a straightforward supervillain or leaned more into pulpy crime and monster-of-the-week territory of the comics than sustained psychological horror.
About Clayface (2026)
After a brutal attack leaves a promising actor disfigured, he turns to an experimental cure that has a horrifying side effect. Now, Matt Hagen is about to become something Gotham City has never seen before, and there’s no turning back.
Director: James Watkins
James Watkins is an English filmmaker born in Nottingham who broke through with his directorial debut, “Eden Lake,” a 2008 horror-thriller that won Best Horror Film at the Empire Awards. He went on to direct “The Woman in Black” (2012), a Daniel Radcliffe-led ghost story that grossed close to $129 million worldwide, as well as the “Black Mirror” (2011-present) episode “Shut Up and Dance” (Season 3, Episode 3).
His most recent film before “Clayface,” the James McAvoy-led “Speak No Evil” 2024 remake, turned a modest $15 million budget into a $76.7 million global haul and cemented his reputation as one of horror’s most reliable tension-builders.
Genre
Clayface is officially tagged on IMDB as Body Horror, Monster Horror, Showbiz Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Thriller to create slasher-style tension and psychological dread rarely seen in prior DC stories.
Runtime
Warner Bros. hasn’t confirmed an official runtime. However, based on a recent test screening, the movie is set to have a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes).
Rating
“Clayface” has been reported as an R-rated release in the United States, making it the first R entry in the current wave of DC Studios films.
Theatrical Release Date
After originally being scheduled for September 11, 2026, Clayface now opens in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2026, timed for the Halloween season.
Streaming Options
“Clayface” is heading to theatres first, with no streaming release confirmed alongside its October debut, so anyone hoping to watch it at home will need to wait for its theatrical run to finish before it turns up on a legitimate platform. Given the film’s ties to Warner Bros. Discovery, Crave is the most likely eventual home for it in Canada, following the pattern set by other recent DC Studios releases, but nothing is official yet.
StreamSafely’s comprehensive movie database tracks confirmed release windows across major streaming services, so you’ll know the moment “Clayface” or your other favorite titles become available to watch safely. We also partner with 100% free, legal streaming options so you can enjoy the content you love without paying for more subscriptions than you need.
Clayface (2026) Trailer
After a disfiguring attack, all Matt Hagen wanted was to go back to who he was before. Instead, he became something else entirely. See Gotham like you never have before in the latest official trailer for DC Studios’ first true horror film.
Cast and Crew
“Clayface” pairs a rising leading man with an award-winning supporting cast built around a genuinely unsettling transformation story. Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries leads the film as Matt Hagen. Before “Clayface,” Harries built his resume on projects like the Netflix drama “White Lines” (2020) and the Apple TV+ series “Suspicion” (2022).
Opposite him, BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie plays the scientist behind Hagen’s transformation, following a run of acclaimed performances that includes her BAFTA TV Award for “The End of the F***ing World” (2017-2019) and a BAFTA Rising Star nomination for playing the titular role in “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (2022).
See more members of this standout cast below:
- Tom Rhys Harries: Matt Hagen / Clayface
- Naomi Ackie: Caitlyn Corr
- Max Minghella: John Borrelli
- Sam Hazeldine: Chris
- Sonita Henry: Clara Finch
- Tanya Moodie: Holly
- Ruby Sear: Theresa
- Jake Curran: Patches
- Wil Coban: Bones
- Joana Ribeiro: Mia
- Joshua James: Corey Bowery
- Francesca Corney: Rosie
- Enzo Squillino Jr.: Jimmy
- Eddie Marsan: Undisclosed
- Nancy Carroll: Undisclosed
- David Dencik: Undisclosed
- Michael Shaeffer: Undisclosed
The crew includes:
- Director: James Watkins
- Writers: Hossein Amini, Mike Flanagan
- Producers: Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn, Peter Safran
- Executive Producers: Rafi Crohn, Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy, Chantal Nong Vo, Paul Ritchie, Michael E. Uslan, Lars P. Winther
- Composer: Volker Bertelmann
- Production Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, 6th & Idaho Productions, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company
How To Stream Clayface (2026)
“Clayface” (2026) has a lot riding on it as DC’s first attempt at full-blown horror and a genuine swing at something different in a genre that often plays it safe. Everything we’ve seen so far, from the trailer’s practical effects to the previous works of Watkins and the cast, we cannot wait for October to arrive.
That said, the gap between theatrical release and streaming release is exactly when illegal streaming platforms try to take advantage of users the most, so it’s worth learning how to recognize piracy sites to keep yourself safe from malware and online security breaches.
Stick with StreamSafely, and we’ll let you know the moment it’s ready to watch legally and safely. We’ll see you all in the theaters! Until then, happy streaming!
