‘Clayface’ Runtime Confirmed: James Gunn’s DCU Horror Movie Is a Brutal 108-Minute Nightmare

The new DC Universe is about to get seriously disturbing. Clayface, the upcoming DC Studios body-horror movie starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, has reportedly locked in a 108-minute runtime, according to a recently updated theater listing. That puts the movie at just 1 hour and 48 minutes, suggesting audiences could be in for a tightly packed descent into one of Batman’s most horrifying villains.

Runtime listings can change before release, and another theater listing currently displays 105 minutes, but the 108-minute figure is now appearing in updated listings.

Either way, the movie is shaping up to be considerably shorter than many modern superhero blockbusters.

And that could fit the horror-first approach perfectly.

Tom Rhys Harries Becomes Gotham’s Most Terrifying Monster

Directed by James Watkins, Clayface follows Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood actor whose career and appearance are destroyed after a brutal attack.

Desperate to restore his life, Matt Hagen turns to an experimental treatment. Instead of simply healing him, however, the procedure transforms his body into a malleable substance while his grip on reality begins to collapse.

The result is the birth of Clayface.

The film’s official synopsis describes Hagen’s transformation as a destructive journey involving revenge, lost identity, scientific ambition, and the erosion of his humanity. The final trailer has also doubled down on the movie’s gruesome body-horror elements, giving audiences a much closer look at Hagen’s horrifying transformation.

DC’s First Major Body-Horror Experiment

Clayface represents a striking tonal change for the developing DC Universe.

Rather than centering on traditional superhero spectacle, the movie is being positioned as a horror thriller, with the story focused primarily on one man’s physical and psychological transformation.

The screenplay comes from horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, while Watkins brings experience with darker material, including The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil.

The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, alongside Harries. DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran produce the movie, with Matt Reeves also among the producers.

The Final Trailer Makes the Nightmare Even Worse

The recently released final trailer has pushed the horror angle even further.

Rather than presenting Clayface simply as another comic-book villain, the footage emphasizes Hagen’s physical deterioration and the disturbing consequences of his experimental treatment.

Reports on the trailer highlight gruesome body-horror imagery while noting that the filmmakers continue to keep aspects of Clayface’s ultimate appearance under wraps.

That mystery could make the theatrical experience particularly important for fans who want to see the character’s complete transformation for the first time.

When Does ‘Clayface’ Release?

Clayface is scheduled to arrive in theaters and IMAX on October 23, 2026, with international theatrical releases beginning October 21.

If the 108-minute listing holds, audiences will get a compact DC horror story rather than another sprawling superhero epic. And with Halloween just around the corner, the timing could hardly be more appropriate.