A New Nightmare in Gotham: DC Unveils Body Horror Thriller Clayface
In addition to June’s Supergirl, DC will release a film with a very different style this October—Clayface.
Clayface will be released in North America on October 23. It is directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil), with a screenplay by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), and Hossein Amini (Obi-Wan Kenobi). Tom Rhys Harries (White Lines) will star as the titular Clayface, with BAFTA-winning actress Naomi Ackie (The End of the F*ing World) playing a scientist, and Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale) portraying a Gotham detective. Other cast members include two-time British Independent Film Award winner Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky) and David Dencik (Chernobyl).
The film unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition. This will be the third film in the DC Universe following last year’s Superman and this June’s Supergirl. However, the genre will be drastically different from previous DC films, as it presents the story of Clayface in the form of a body horror movie. Body horror has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with films like The Substance and Together receiving good reviews, the former even receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
In addition to the trailer, DC also released the film’s first poster:
In 2022, Warner Bros. decided to reboot the DC film franchise, appointing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Aquaman producer Peter Safran as Co-Chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios. The first film, Superman, was written and directed by James Gunn and released last summer to positive reviews, earning over $600 million and ranking tenth in last year's global box office. The DC Universe operates similarly to other cinematic universes, with connections between different films and series. Clayface himself previously appeared in the animated series Creature Commandos. The protagonist of that animated series, Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), appeared in the Superman film and also appearred alongside Hawkgirl, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) in the second season of Peacemaker. Guy Gardner is also a lead in the live-action Green Lantern series Lanterns. Additionally, María Gabriela de Faría and Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) appeared in Superman as Angela Spica (The Engineer) and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), respectively; they will later appear in the upcoming The Authority and this June’s Supergirl film. The next DCU film, Supergirl, premieres in June, followed by the Green Lantern series Lanterns in August.
If you are interested in upcoming movies to be released in Canada, please visit the Movie Release Schedule page on this website!
Photo and Source: Warner Bros.