CLAYFACE Set Videos Appear To Show Matt Hagen's Transformation; More Joker & Penguin References Spotted

CLAYFACE Set Videos Appear To Show Matt Hagen's Transformation; More Joker & Penguin References Spotted

These latest videos from the Liverpool set of DC Studios' Clayface appear to show Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) fleeing from a red carpet premiere as his face begins to transform...

By MarkCassidy - Sep 10, 2025 09:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Clayface

As shooting continues on Clayface in Liverpool, these latest photos and videos from the set of the R-rated DCU movie appear to give us a first glimpse of Matt Hagen transforming into the titular Batman villain.

The brief clips show Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) running away from a red carpet premiere holding his face. Based on what we've learned from previous reports, Hagen will undergo surgery after his face is left disfigured by a mobster. Unfortunately, the procedure comes with some major side effects.

We also have some more photos featuring nods to The Joker, with one flyer displaying an ad for Amusement Mile. This area near the Gotham City docks is often used as a base of operations by the Clown Prince of Crime in the comics. There's also a poster for the "Penguin Man."

As you may recall, Oswald Cobblepott was reimagined as a carnival freak in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. We can't imagine this is anything other than a little Easter egg, but fans will no doubt appreciate the DC Comics nods all the same.

Clayface will also star Max Minghella (The Social Network, The Handmaid's Tale) as John, a Gotham City detective who becomes suspicious of his fiancé Caitlin's relationship with Matt Hagen. Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Mickey 17) plays Caitlin Bates, a biotech CEO who treats Matt after he's left disfigured by a mobster.

The story will reportedly "center on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort, the actor turns to a fringe Elizabeth Holmes-style scientist for help. At first, the experiment is a successful but … well, it wouldn’t be a horror movie if the story ended right there, would it?"

Speak No Evil director James Watkins will helm the project, while James Gunn will produce alongside Peter Safran and The Batman director Matt Reeves, with Lynn Harris and Chantal Nong serving as executive producers.

Mike Flanagan penned the script, but was reportedly unavailable to direct due to his commitments to a Carrie TV series. Screenwriter Hossein Amini, best known for penning 2011’s Drive, was recently tapped to do some rewrites. The project has been given an official release date of September 11, 2026.

Safran shared a few new details on the Flanagan script, noting that Clayface is indeed going to be a full-on horror movie in the same vein as David Cronenberg's The Fly, and more recently, we learned that the movie will also take more than a little inspiration from Coralie Fargeat's body horror hit, The Substance.

"Clayface, you see, is a Hollywood horror story, according to our sources, using the most popular incarnation of the villain – a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant only to find out that he can reshape his face and form, becoming a walking piece of clay.".  

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Laridian
Laridian - 9/10/2025, 9:21 AM
THAT's the PENGUIN I want to see in the DCU. A bird-obsessed, umbrella-wielding weirdo. Not an incel fanboy.
ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 9/10/2025, 9:22 AM
ANOTHER DCU HIT ON THE WAY PEOPLE, THE CGI WILL BE OSCAR WORTHY

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Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/10/2025, 9:50 AM
@ClungeOfSteel - Yes.
Clearly a modern Fx masterpiece!

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ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 9/10/2025, 9:53 AM
@Feralwookiee - AGREED SIR! 😉

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Forthas
Forthas - 9/10/2025, 10:17 AM
@ClungeOfSteel - There are no CGI errors in Superman. Like look at this shot of Superman's foot that appears in the theatrical version.

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Perfect! A lot of people around here are just mad they cannot make a film without reshoots.
ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 9/10/2025, 10:32 AM
@Forthas - THAT SHOT PERFECT SIR!

FROM THE TOP OF HIS HEAD DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF HIS CLOWN SHO...I MEAN BOOTS, THIS FILM WILL CLEAR UP COME OSCAR NIGHT 😌

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lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 9/10/2025, 9:23 AM
I'm so in on this.
I've got zero problem with Batman not being in this. He's been done to death. I find many of his rogues fascinating so a short series or small-budget film on them is great by me.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/10/2025, 9:49 AM
Yeah , I’m assuming Matt’s face starts to melt as he attends this premeire and feels like he’s back on top or getting there which is when the next stage of the narrative begins…

Anyway in regards to these references , I think they are just set dressing/decoration to help enhance the world if the film more then actual having any bearing on how the likes of Joker or Penguin are characterized in this universe.
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 9/10/2025, 10:10 AM
Cool beans, man. I’m interested.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 9/10/2025, 10:12 AM
So is this DCU or in The Batman/Penguin universe? I haven’t kept up on this story as much.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/10/2025, 10:43 AM
@JustAWaffle - with that penguin poster, seems like thr DCU batman wont be the Reeves batman
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 9/10/2025, 11:31 AM
@vectorsigma - Good catch.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/10/2025, 10:34 AM
Correct me if I’m wrong but we only have 3 DCU projects next year right as of now?

It’s Lanterns ,Supergirl & Clayface…

If so then Lanterns is the one I’m most interested in tbh!!.

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 9/10/2025, 10:42 AM
This movie is going to surprise everyone. Flanagan doesn't miss. I'm sure @Walletsclosed will say it needs a billion dollars to break even hahaha. Where's @FantasticClunge?!
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 9/10/2025, 11:03 AM
@bobevanz - This movie won't even make 100 million at the box office
Laridian
Laridian - 9/10/2025, 11:15 AM
@bobevanz - Stop invoking their names. lol
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/10/2025, 10:44 AM
I just noticed how the Gunn haters and snyder fans have their own bubble thread and its funny 😂
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 9/10/2025, 11:05 AM
More DOA passion project nonsense. Give the fans what they want. No one gives a shit about drunken bratty girlboss Supergirl or niche villain movies. This will be one of the biggest box office bombs ever made

Reboot the MCU and DCU
ImNotaBot
ImNotaBot - 9/10/2025, 11:27 AM
Every DCU article i open has the same 4 haters commenting non stop 😂😂😂😂

Talk about the true DCU fans right here, obsessed about James Gunn, rushing into every atricle about the DCU to give more buzz and 100% dedication to show their love discussing about every single DCU project 👏👏👏👏

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