DC Studios' 2026 R-rated Batman spin-off movie just revealed its main villain, who also happens to be its protagonist. As fans eagerly await The Batman Part 2 and The Brave and the Bold, DC Studios' next live-action Batman-adjacent movie will be the R-rated body horror flick Clayface. Written by Doctor Sleep scribe Mike Flanagan and helmed by Speak No Evil director James Watkins, Clayface will introduce Doctor Who actor Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen.
Taking place in James Gunn's DCU, the Batman spin-off stars Harries as Matt Hagen, an "ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster." The first plot details for DC Studios' Clayface noted that he will turn to a scientist for help after his career is effectively ruined, thus kickstarting the body horror and Hagen's transformation into the shape-shifting Batman villain.
Production is officially underway on Clayface in the U.K., and set photos have surfaced unveiling Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, aka the Batman villain-to-be. These set photos likely come from early in Clayface, as the bloodied and bandaged Hagen looks to be fresh off his disfigurement and yet to participate in any mad science experimentation that grants him shape-shifting abilities.
Harries was also captured as Hagen without his bandages and blood-spattered make-up, revealing his pretty boy style that led to his Hollywood stardom.
Further set photos once again featured Harries as a bandaged Hagen, this time without his jacket, indicating he may be shirtless in this scene, with the jacket only being worn by the actor between takes.
The production has transformed the U.K.'s Liverpool Crown Court building into a Gotham City hospital where Hagen will seemingly be treated for his recent gangster-induced injuries that will leave him disfigured.
Onlookers to the DC Studios production captured a set video of a patient, presumably Hagen, being rushed into Gotham General Hospital
Additionally, Ray Donovan actor Eddie Marsan was pictured filming a scene for Clayface with a press conference taking place outside the hospital. The reporters are presumably gathering for the latest updates after Hagen is injured, with scooper Apocalyptic Horseman stating that Marsen will play the actor's manager.
The DCU body horror began production in August and immediately saw set photos circling the internet, including looks at police cars and other Gotham vehicles.
Clayface is just beginning production around a year before its September 11, 2026, release, with the DCU flick expected to operate on a low $40 million budget.
Beyond Tom Rhys Harries and Eddie Marsan, A Handmaid's Tale actor Max Minghella is expected to play detective John, while Mickey 17 actress Naomi Ackie will star as Dr. Caitlin Bates, the scientist who turns Hagen into Clayface.
The Latest Updates on the DCU's Batman Mythos
Fans still have a year to wait until Clayface, but these set photos seem to reveal scenes from early in the DCU flick right after his disfigurement. It remains unclear how much of the movie will be shot on location versus studio sound stages, but its low budget ought to push a focus on practical effects.
Clayface's production comes amid struggles in getting The Brave and the Bold off the ground, as focus remains on The Batman Part 2. That said, James Gunn recently updated fans on the DCU's Dark Knight reboot, hinting that things are "going well," with the movie still in the writing stage under an unknown scribe.
While there's no telling how long The Brave and the Bold will take to get moving, the latest DCU projects have already started referencing the Batman mythos. For one, Peacemaker Season 2 confirmed that two major characters have abandoned Gotham City, while also featuring Batman villain White Rabbit in the premiere.
Find out why fans think James Gunn has already cast the DCU's Batman.
