Trailer for Clayface gives closer look at Batman villain in new DC film shot in Greater Manchester

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Clayface film shot in Stockport and Greater Manchester

DC have dropped a brand-new trailer for the upcoming Clayface film: a new ‘body horror’ movie by the Hollywood studio and superhero franchise.

Giving the first extended look at the cult favourite Batman villain, it’s set to be one of the darkest and most disturbing big-budget DC projects for some time.

The James Watkins-directed flick notably began filming across multiple parts of Greater Manchester in 2025 ahead of its full debut this autumn.

Set to release on 23 October, it drops in just time for ‘spooky season’, and judging by this latest trailer, they’re certainly doubling down on the creepiest sides of the character. If you’re a bit squeamish, we’d say proceed with caution:

We’d only seen a short but shocking teaser and some behind-the-scenes snaps up until now.

It’s certainly a striking reveal and has some of the most mature themes we’ve seen from DC over the years; that’s what you get when you park a supervillain like this.

For anyone who hasn’t come across Clayface before, it is an alias used by multiple individuals in the comics, including Basil Karlo and Preston Payne.

However, this version of the alter ego follows the story of Matt Hagen, a struggling actor who suffers serious disfiguration and experiments with experimental science before embarking on a tale of revenge.

While this differs somewhat from Hagen’s original backstory, without straying into spoiler territory, there’s plenty to be made from the trailer, as you can see.

Played by Tom Rhys Harries, the actor was first spotted on the set in Stockport town centre at the famous Plaza theatre, with its art deco exterior being turned into a movie premiere:

The 33-year-old Welshman is making his first foray into the DCU, though it remains unclear how much he will feature (if at all) in future projects.

After both studio co-head James Gunn and The Batman director Matt Reeves rubbished rumours that he might appear in the sequel starring Robert Pattinson as ‘The Caped Crusader’, we’ll just have to wait and see how much more mainstream audiences take to this tale and tragic villain.

If you’re wondering what kind of film to expect beyond what you’re now already aware of, it’s worth noting that James Watkins is known for films such as The Woman In Black (2012), Bastille Day (2016), and the heavily nominated James McAvoy-led movie, Speak No Evil (2024).

We were lucky enough to walk past their other major period of filming over in Manchester city centre last September, where the often-used Castlefield doubled as Gotham.

@the.manc Batman spin-off Clayface has taken over Manchester again, with filming crews transforming Castlefield into Gotham. So cool 🎬 #themanc #manchester #clayface #dcuniverse #batman ♬ original sound – The Manc

What do you make of the new Clayface trailer, and how much of our region could you spot?

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Featured Images — DC Studios/Warner Bros. (screenshots via YouTube)

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