Following an impressive first teaser trailer, it's been all quiet on the Clayface front in recent months. DC Studios is busy building hype for Supergirl, of course, and there's always a chance that a new look at the horror movie could be attached to the Woman of Tomorrow's solo outing.
The R-rated tale is set in the same world as Superman, and in a Gotham City that still hasn't found its Batman. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, meanwhile, has previously said that Clayface takes place in the past, suggesting it will explain how actor Matt Hagen became the lesbian-loving shapeshifter featured in Creature Commandos.
However, it doesn't sound like we should bank on a Batman cameo or any major tie-ins to the wider DCU. Club Ciné recently spoke with Clayface lead Tom Rhys Harries, who teased his DCU debut and confirmed its standalone status.
"I’ve been a huge Mike Flanagan fan for as long as I’ve been watching film and TV," Harries said of Clayface's first writer. "Hossein Amini has built on what was a foundational script that works as a complete standalone within an extended world."
"The script is pretty meta in many ways – I'm an actor playing an actor. And you can get granular with that. That’s all I think I can say."
Clayface being a "complete standalone" story isn't hugely surprising, but it will likely disappoint fans eager to see DC Studios start building a vibrant Gotham inhabited by the Bat-Family and Batman's rogues' gallery.
While he couldn't share any additional details, Harries added, "I was, and continue to be, very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with James Watkins and under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC. I'm very excited about what they're building, and I would have stayed as a fan."
Early reports about Supergirl's chances of box office success paint a disappointing picture for the Maid of Might, but it won't actually hit tracking until early next week. Still, with horror movies in the midst of a resurgence, Clayface stands a chance of being one of this Halloween's biggest success stories.
You can rewatch the haunting first teaser trailer for Clayface below.
DC Studios' first-ever foray into the genre, Clayface is a horror thriller from director James Watkins, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the Gotham City villain.
Clayface 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.
The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.
James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, story by Flanagan, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Rafi Crohn, Paul Ritchie, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther executive producing.
Watkins' creative team includes director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris, visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, costume designer Keith Madden, and casting director Lucy Bevan.
Clayface opens in theaters in North America on October 23 and internationally beginning on October 21.