‘Clayface’ Will Push the DCU to Its Limits With R-Rated Violence
The upcoming film *Clayface* will take the DC Universe into body horror, with R-rated violence and graphic practical effects. Its stars, Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie, say the story’s risks felt right for the franchise and that the horror is grounded in the relationships at its centre.
Harries plays Matt Hagen, a street-born actor whose rise to fame ends after a crime boss leaves him disfigured and abandoned. He turns to an experimental treatment that initially restores his appearance, but begins to lose control; Ackie plays Caitlyn Corr, with Max Minghella as John Borrelli. Harries describes Matt as believing he is in a romantic comedy before being jolted into psychological horror, while both actors say the emotional stakes make the frightening scenes matter.
- *Clayface* brings body horror and R-rated violence to the DCU.
- Matt Hagen’s experimental treatment spirals out of control.
- Its stars say the relationship is central to the horror.
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Clayface is a DC Universe film centred on Matt Hagen, an actor whose career and appearance are transformed after he is left disfigured. He undergoes an experimental treatment that restores his looks at first, but its effects become difficult to control.
Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt, Naomi Ackie plays Caitlyn Corr, and Max Minghella plays John Borrelli. The story combines horror with the characters’ relationships, and explores what happens to Matt as his sense of control begins to slip.
The film’s body horror and graphic effects mark a move into darker material for the DC Universe. That matters because the story is part of a wider franchise, while its focus on personal relationships gives the frightening events their emotional context.