On a list of Batman villains likely to get their own film, Clayface probably doesn’t break the top five. It just seems so random, so odd, so impossible. Which is almost certainly why DC Studios jumped at the idea to do just that. And, now, you can see why.
The first trailer for Clayface, directed by James Watkins, is finally here, and it very clearly shows that this release from DC Studios, run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, is unique. This is a full-on, David Cronenberg-inspired, body horror film that just so happens to be about a character best known for fighting Batman. It’s all very unexpected. And yet, as brought to life by Tom Rhys Harries, we think Clayface is likely to melt out of that Bat-shaped shadow and carve his own niche in superhero movie lore. Here’s the trailer, which is the same one we saw at CinemaCon last week.
The first thing that jumps out at you, besides that haunting final shot, is the sound. The eerie song, obviously, but the way there’s that almost record scratch each time the trailer creepily cuts to another scene. Some are flashbacks to a better time. Others show that the film will give us the full scope of the transformation. And all work in tandem to really grab us.
There’s also that great, very brief tease of Clayface’s signature club fist move, seen here only in shadow. Clearly, the final movie will give us the full-bodied, ooey gooey Clayface we know and love, but DC just isn’t ready to reveal that yet. Or, more likely, the visual effects aren’t ready just yet. Either way, this trailer has us even more excited for the film than we were before, and that’s the main thing.
Starring Harries and Naomi Ackie, from a script by Stephen King whisperer Mike Flanagan, Clayface opens on October 23. Are you excited for DC’s first foray into Gotham?
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