Clayface set leaks spark speculation on plot and Batman ties

Filming on the DC Studios movie Clayface has been underway in Liverpool, and a wave of leaked set photos shared online this week has stirred fresh speculation about the film’s plot and its ties to other Batman projects. Among the images circulating on X are a mock newspaper with the headline "ACTOR MATT HAGEN DEAD!" and posters and graffiti invoking the Joker, all of which fans say were photographed on a closed set that has been dressed to resemble Gotham City.

Clayface, directed by James Watkins and scheduled for release on September 11, 2026, stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor who is reportedly disfigured by a gangster and turns to a scientist for help before his body becomes clay. The production, shooting both on location in Liverpool and at Warner Bros Leavesden, lists Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan among the cast. The screenplay originated with horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan and was later revised by Hossein Amini. Producers include James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris also credited.

The "ACTOR MATT HAGEN DEAD!" image has prompted two main lines of fan theorizing. Some interpret it as a direct spoiler that...