Since James Gunn first announced DC Studios would make a Mike Flanagan-penned Clayface movie, he and co-studio head Peter Safran maintained that the movie would be a “Hard-R” body horror. We really had no reason to doubt them, but until it’s official, you never know. Well, now it is official (via DreadCentral). The MPA has given Clayface an R rating for “strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity and brief drug use.” If any supervillain deserves a violent, gory horror movie, it’s probably Clayface. Or, like, any number of other Batman villains, I suppose.
Clayface will be the third feature film under Gunn and Safran’s tenure at DC Studios. The first, Gunn’s own Superman was hit with critics and audiences, while Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl from earlier this year was…not. All of the TV series so far have been TV-MA for language and violence, so in many ways, Clayface fits more in with the DCU’s tone at the moment. But an R-rated horror movie, even one that takes place in Gotham City, is by no means a shoo-in for box office glory.
Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a heartthrob actor whose life and livelihood take a hit when mobsters beat his face to a pulp. He subjects himself to experimental drugs from fringe scientist Dr. Caitlin Corr (Naomie Ackie) and while at first it seems like everything is both hunky and dory, Hagen’s body begins to lose its structural integrity. It’s almost like his face becomes, well, like clay if you can believe it.
Other cast members include Max Minghella as Gotham Police Detective John Borelli, and Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, and Nancy Carroll in undisclosed roles. Could one of them play Commissioner Gordon? If anyone, I’d guess Marsan, but who knows?
Clayface will hit theaters on October 23 and will surely bring the grossness. We hope it can bring back some of the juice to the DCU after Supergirl tanked.