In 2024, James Gunn’s DC Universe began in earnest with Creature Commandos, an animated series officially kicking off this new continuity. About three weeks after the show debuted, James Gunn and Peter Safran greenlit Clayface, a movie written by Mike Flanagan that would serve as a standalone horror feature and origin for the Batman villain. With the film set to debut on October 23, 2026, there have been four Clayface trailers so far.
This movie is important for a couple of reasons, at least with respect to the ongoing expansion of the DCU. In fact, both Gotham City and Clayface himself appeared in Creature Commandos, as well as a silhouetted Batman. Because of Flanagan’s other commitments, director James Watkins took over the project and Hossein Amini rewrote the script. The story centers on actor Matt Hagan, and it will serve as an origin story for an actor turned villain by way of “campy” body horror reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s The Fly.
What The Four Clayface Trailers Reveal About The DCU Movie
James Gunn shared the most recent of the Clayface trailers on social media, following a teaser trailer, an official trailer, and one from Warner Bros. India’s YouTube page. Relative to other DC Comics’ inspired projects, Clayface has a small budget of just $40 million. Gunn also said Watkins completed production in “just four short weeks.” The movie stars Tom Rhys Harries as Hagan, Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlin Corr, and Max Minghella as Gotham detective John Borelli. Hagan is a successful actor who ends up disfigured, by Gotham criminals. Dr. Corr uses him as a test subject for a sci-fi procedure in order to restore his unmarred appearance.
Naturally, or perhaps unnaturally, things go awry, and Hagan slowly evolves into the malleable monster Clayface. Flanagan said his story wouldn’t treat Hagan as a villain, at least not at first. Yet because of what happens to him after his procedure, he turns into a monster. Aside from the origin story of Doctor Phosphorous in Creature Commandos, this new film will bring fans to the Gotham City of the DCU for the first time. It is also not expected to feature Batman, given there has been no casting announcement. Also, according to Gunn and Matt Reeves, the world of The Batman and The Penguin series is not associated with the DCU.
Set photos from filming, which took place from August 31, 2025 until November 1, revealed some details about this latest cinematic version of Gotham City. A recently released production still showing Hagan in hooded sweatshirt hiding his visage showed “the anarchy symbol” on the wall, possibly a reference to DC Comics’ villain Anakry. There was also a subway map which revealed iconic locales like Arkham Asylum, Blackgate prison, Ace Chemicals, and even Wayne Manor. There have been many references to Gotham City in other DCU projects, including at least one per episode of HBO’s Lanterns. While billed as a standalone horror film, Clayface will obviously be a precursor to the DCU’s Batman.
What We Know About The DCU’s Batman And How Clayface Will Set Him Up
Superman established that metahumans have been around for 300 years. Creature Commandos established Belle Reve prison housed “non-human” prisoners for 50 years. The Clayface film will obviously take place before the events of that first show, set in 2024. The series also detailed the origin story of another of the Dark Knight’s rogues, Doctor Phosphorous, which took place 15 years earlier. It’s unclear when Batman captured him, but it was long enough for Phosphorous to become a criminal kingpin.
The biggest clue about Batman’s career comes from a recent Lanterns episode. In a scene set in 2026, Hal Jordan tells John Stewart that the current Green Lantern of Earth, Guy Gardner, “ripped off the Bat-guy in Gotham” with his signal lamp. Since this was set up shortly after the battle against the aliens in Rushville in 2016, it means Batman and the Bat-signal have been around for around a decade. The timeframe for is unknown beyond preceding the events of Superman and Creature Commandos. Yet, details in the Clayface trailers like the makes of cars and other technology seen in the trailers, it’s at least the 2010s. This means Batman should be active in Gotham City during the film.
Yet, since Hagan was active and free during Creature Commandos, it’s possible that he and Batman never actually cross paths. Or, if they do, Batman likely doesn’t capture him. In the film, Hagan will — like Phosphorous before him — take revenge on the criminals who led to him becoming a monster. This should put him on the Caped Crusader’s radar, but Hagan will surely do everything he can to escape him. If Batman was able to capture a criminal who can atomize human beings with a mere touch, Clayface would pose little direct threat. Yet since Hagan can change his appearance, including clothes, it should be east enough for him to escape. So, at best, Clayface will do what Creature Commandos did and keep Batman hidden in the shadows. Literally.
Clayface debuts in theaters on October 23, 2026, while Lanterns debuts new episodes on HBO Sundays at 9 PM. Superman, Supergirl, Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos stream on HBO Max.
