Sleeper Film of the Year? DC Sparks Buzz at CinemaCon with Dark First Footage
DC Studios took the stage Tuesday night as part of the Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon, the annual convention being held in Las Vegas this week. Since the panel, attendees have been talking online about not what would have been expected based on DC’s upcoming slate.
On June 26, Supergirl releases in theaters, which is undoubtedly the biggest project outside of 2025’s Superman since James Gunn and Peter Safran’s tenures began as co-heads of DC Studios in 2022. There isn’t just a large financial investment involved, but the film starring Milly Alcock is a foundational piece for the DC Universe that Gunn and Safran are trying to build.
#Supergirl lands in theaters and @IMAX June 26. pic.twitter.com/N7BYoszfl0
— Supergirl (@supergirl) March 31, 2026
DC Studios does have one other movie releasing in 2026 that has not had much talk, as there has been no promotion released to this point. Releasing this October will be Clayface, an origin movie of the lesser-known Batman villain for general audiences.
The film stars Tom Rhys Harries, is directed by James Watkins, with a script from the acclaimed Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep).
Flanagan has said that his story is heavily inspired by the monumental two-part episode of Batman: The Animated Series, “Feat of Clay,” written by Marv Wolfman and Michael Reaves. The episode follows disfigured actor Matt Hagen, who becomes addicted to a shapeshifting chemical controlled by the mob that allows him to look like his previous self so he can continue to act. Forced into crime to be able to have access to the drug, Hagen overdoses and becomes the tragic monster known as Clayface.
This episode of Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, the studio behind Akira.
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) April 14, 2026
No wonder this scene feels so close to Tetsuo’s transformation. pic.twitter.com/ZZhxsT1U1M
Tuesday night, the first trailer for the film was shown to the crowd at CinemaCon, and many online have said that they were shocked at what they saw.
James Gunn had previously stated that the origin story would be a dark, body-horror film, but logical belief is that it would only go so far for a film taking place in a superhero universe. Viewers present for the trailer got a taste of how that assessment may have been very wrong.
CLAYFACE is actually committing to the comic book movie as body horror bit. Some images are outright disgusting and highly disturbing, with the name of the game here being an all-encompassing psychological, cringe-inducing experience. Pleasantly surprised. #CinemaCon2026
— James Preston Poole @ CinemaCon 2026 (@JamesPPoole) April 15, 2026
Here is the full summary of what was shown by media personality Brandon Davis of The Brandon Davis Show:
“The footage sees Matt Hagen’s face wrapped in hospital,” Davis posted on X. “His eyes and skin are red. He looks like he’s grimly in pain and also emotionally devastated. It’s intercut with himself pre-accident, as if he’s looking at himself in the hospital bed in horror. Gruesome flashes show his lips starting to get stuck together. We see shadows of his body forming hammers for hands and fighting. People are looking horrified and screaming in flashes. It’s set to a slower, intentionally creepy version of ‘Do You Realize??’ by Flaming Lips when it’s attached to this footage. This is the same song used for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s first teaser. Matt lays in a bathtub with his face uncovered. We see his face, and he wipes it away ... there’s nothing there ... no face. Creepy.”
Clayface will be the third theatrical release from DC Studios, hitting theaters Oct. 23, 2026.