CinemaCon is rolling out main reveals this yr, with previews for initiatives like Resident Evil and Godzilla Minus Zero already getting followers speaking.
However one of many extra sudden standouts comes from DC Studios, which lastly pulled again the curtain on its upcoming Clayface film. The primary footage has been proven, and it isn’t simply one other comedian ebook adaptation, it’s one thing far more unsettling.
The footage leans exhausting into physique horror proper out of the gate. It cuts between a person with a severely broken face wrapped in bandages and Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen. The imagery will get fairly intense, together with a disturbing second the place the bandaged model of the character is lacking an eyelid.
Because the footage unfolds, we see footage of Hagen’s face break down and soften whereas he struggles to get a grip on no matter he’s turning into.
It doesn’t linger too lengthy, however the clip ends by teasing Clayface’s full type in shadow. Even in silhouette, the design makes an impression, with a jagged, spiked fist and a face that appears prefer it’s continually shifting and sliding aside. It’s a fast glimpse, however sufficient to make it clear that DC isn’t enjoying it protected with this character.
Clayface wasn’t initially a part of the primary DC Studios slate, nevertheless it gained traction because of sturdy reactions to the script and idea from James Gunn. The movie is directed by Mike Flanagan, greatest recognized for The Haunting of Hill Home, and that artistic alternative tells you a large number concerning the tone they’re aiming for.
Flanagan has been vocal about his love for the character. He truly pitched a Clayface film earlier than the present DC management was even in place. On the time, Warner Bros. Discovery handed on the thought, however as soon as Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in, the mission discovered its footing and moved ahead shortly.
Flanagan has mentioned the movie attracts inspiration from Batman: The Animated Sequence, which many followers nonetheless take into account the definitive tackle Clayface.
That model of the character balanced tragedy and horror in a means that caught with audiences, and it feels like this movie is aiming for the same emotional weight, simply pushed additional into full-on horror territory.
Gunn has additionally described the film as a horror movie, which strains up completely with what was proven within the footage. Between that method, Flanagan’s observe document, and Harries moving into the function of Matt Hagen, that is going to be be a really horrific and completely different form of DC film.
