Audiences will have to wait a little longer to familiarize themselves with “Clayface,” one of DC’s lesser known characters. The superhero film was originally slated to hit theaters on Sept. 11. It will now move to Oct. 23.
“Clayface,” for those not steeped in all things Gotham, is a shapeshifting Batman villain. The genre has been described as a body horror, so think Cronenberg. It will be directed by James Watkins (“Speak No Evil”) from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep”) and Hossein Amini (“Drive”). Up and comer Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, an actor whose face is disfigured, while Naomie Ackie will play the scientist he turns to for help. James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-heads of DC Studios, will produce alongside “The Batman” director Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris. DC scored with last summer’s “Superman,” which critics and audiences saw as a return to form for the comic book studio after a string of disappointments like “The Flash” and “Black Adam” that predated Gunn and Safran’s arrival.
“Clayface” was originally going to square off against a new adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility.” Now, the film will slide into the opening date vacated by another Warner Bros. release, “Remain,” which moved into 2027. Also premiering that weekend are an untitled Jordan Peele project from Universal, as well as the Rosamund Pike thriller “Wife and Dog.”
With “Clayface” moving, Warner Bros. has opted to shift its sequel to “Practical Magic” to Sept. 11. The witchy follow-up, directed by Susanne Bier, was originally slated to debut on Sept. 18. The film brings back original stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.