Clayface: First Look At DC Studios Movie Shows Tom Rhys Harries As Matt Hagen

James Gunn's DC Universe is set to expand significantly with a new and fresh addition ... and we're not talking about the upcoming "Supergirl." While the first two movies in Warner Bros. Discovery's superhero reboot will have focused predominantly on star David Corenswet's Big Blue Boyscout and his rebellious cousin Kara (played by Milly Alcock), the third planned installment will take a very different route altogether. Described as an R-rated body horror/origin story, "Clayface" promises to add a much darker and more disturbing twist to the mythos of the classic Batman villain.

While the studio is keeping the film under wraps thus far, we've just seen our first official glimpse (not counting set photos, of course) of actor Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen. In a social media post, the official "Clayface" Instagram account has just released a first-look image at the character in a magazine teasing his appearance in the film. Cheekily captioned "A face you won't forget," we see the young actor on the front cover describing him as a "Rising star" in the world of acting — confirming that director James Watkins and writer Mike Flanagan will be taking a page out of the character's most famous incarnation as a working actor before he takes shape (get it?) as the hideous, shapeshifting monster. That's a stark difference from previous versions like Basil Karlo, the first Clayface in DC Comics who was established as a serial killer.

Despite featuring the same backstory popularized in the kid-friendly "Batman: The Animated Series," however, fans should expect a very different approach to the villain in "Clayface." 

This isn't your parents' Clayface, or even the one you remember growing up with in "Batman: The Animated Series." Where previous versions of the character have either touched on the violence and tragedy inherent in such a backstory or embraced the comedy of it all (as most recently seen in the animated "Harley Quinn" series on HBO Max, voiced by Alan Tudyk), DC Studios' live-action "Clayface" is set to double down on the body horror of it all. As James Gunn's co-studio head Peter Safran previously explained, it was important to them to offer up all kinds of stories in this universe — not just mainstream, four-quadrant blockbusters. According to Safran, "Not every movie has to be for everyone, but we want to have something for everyone."

That helps explain the lower-budget thrills of "Clayface," which Warner Bros. Discovery recently unveiled at CinemaCon just this last week in Las Vegas. As outlets like Variety reported, the exclusive footage for attendees provided a glimpse of some seriously gnarly visuals: Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen suffering severe facial disfigurement, his entire body turning into clay after gaining his powers, and even a stomach-churning glimpse of his face morphing into something downright inhuman.

Expect the otherwise bright and sunny and feel-good vibes of the DC Universe to suddenly feel a bit tempered in the months ahead. Up next is "Supergirl" later this June in all its punk-rock glory. After that, "Clayface" will hit theaters on October 23, 2026.