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James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is currently in hype mode for Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl, with the cast enjoying red carpet premieres around the globe. But the studio has also quietly screened its upcoming horror movie Clayface, which will be joining other 2026 movie releases when it hits theaters in October. Early reactions appear to be more positive than negative, but with some seemingly major spoilers also being discussed, including the key casting of a Breaking Bad vet.
Though everything we’ll be talking about below is technically unconfirmed and comes from people who allegedly attended the early Clayface viewing, it’s worth putting a SPOILER WARNING here to ward off those who would be most upset to learn details ahead of time, including one that kinda concerns me as a general horror fan. We’ll dive in deeper below the logo.
Clayface's Cast Apparently Includes An A+ Breaking Bad Vet
According to Feature First, the upcoming DCU movie will feature an appearance from none other than Aaron Paul, arguably best known to fans as Jesse Pinkman. The actor is always aces regardless of the project or role, and he almost always chooses movies and series that appeal to his fan sensibilities, as opposed to merely doing it for the payday. (See: Invincible, It’s Always Sunny, his upcoming role in Fallout Season 3, etc.)
Interestingly, Paul’s involvement in Clayface is more on the minimal side than anything meaty, and it’s claimed he will only show up for a “brief and minor role.” So was this just a chance for Paul to say he’s in the DCU’s first horror movie, or is it perhaps a role that will be fleshed out in a future project?
Considering James Watkins, James Gunn and others have all plainly stated that Clayface doesn’t have overarching ties to other projects and won’t feature a Batman cameo, it’s not the most likely outcome. But I can’t fully believe that an actor with Paul’s Breaking Bad pedigree would only show up for a throwaway part. It doesn't help that the timeline is still somewhat unclear, as far as exactly when it's taking place.
The Major Clayface Detail That Has Me Most Concerned
Again, anything said about Clayface at this point is meant to be taken with the usual grain of salt, and it's specifically worth pointing out here that several posts about the early screening noted that the CGI and some special effects were not finalized. So it's theoretically possible that the finished product releasing in October will feature some updated visuals. But let's just pretend nothing too noteworthy will change between now and then.
One of the alleged screening attendees took to X to share a smattering of information about the movie, including this gut-punch of a claim:
There are no references to Batman and there is no full body transformation.
The lack of Batman is hardly an issue, since it's been well-publicized that James Gunn & Co. have yet to cast an actor to be the DCU's Caped Crusader. And I'm not mad at this being a villain-centric movie that doesn't need one of DC's Big Three to be involved.
But Clayface is an R-rated body horror movie, so one of my most basic expectations was for Matt Hagen to suffer through one or more actual full-body horror moments. If they're not going to play up this character's most preeminent trait, then what's the point of basing it on this particular character? Sure, I realize that Mike Flanagan's story and initial script are probably more of a character study than an effects bonanza, and I love his storytelling choices in everything. But a Clayface movie without Clayface-level transformations just seems baffling.
It's like saying, "We're going into production on a King Tut movie, but this version of the Batman villain will be more fixated on Greek mythology." Well not exactly, but on a similar level of bizarreness.
Clayface Has Been Compared To A Quartet Of Other Movies
These may not be the only four movie comparisons that have surfaced from early Clayface chatter, but I think in particular, this grouping shared on X gives fans a pretty good idea of what to expect from its tone and story.
- Joker
- The Substance
- The Incredible Hulk
- Vanilla Sky
The Joker comparison is perhaps the most polarizing, but I assume that's mainly from it being a villain-centric origin story without a hero to anchor it. The Substance is a great comparison point, theoretically, but is maybe less impactful knowing about the lack of transformation scenes.
I like the Marvel namedrop here for Ed Norton's The Incredible Hulk, since it likely implies Tom Rhys Harries' Matt will be on the run from others as he tries to gain control of his changing biology. And I get that the Vanilla Sky ties are likely due to Matt's face being all bandaged up the way Tom Cruise's was after his car crash in that movie, but I do wonder if the unreliable nature of that film is also at play.
I'm calling it now. At the end of the movie, Aaron Paul wakes up in bed next to Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette, and it's revealed Clayface's storyline was just a dream.
Clayface is set to hit theaters on October 23, 2026.
