The first reactions to DC Studios’ Clayface have arrived, and the upcoming Batman villain film appears to be leaning fully into its horror roots.

Directed by James Watkins, Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an actor who suffers a devastating facial injury before undergoing an experimental treatment that transforms his body and ultimately turns him into the shape shifting character known as Clayface.

Early reactions following screenings have been largely positive, with viewers praising the film’s gruesome body horror, dark atmosphere and Harries’ performance in the lead role.

Collider’s Steven Weintraub called the film “fantastic” while noting that it delivers an R rated experience filled with brutal moments.

Clayface [DC Studios]

Brandon Davis described Clayface as “freakishly awesome,” praising Watkins’ unsettling version of Gotham and the creative ways the film uses Clayface’s abilities.

Several reactions have also compared the movie to classic body horror films such as The Fly and Sam Raimi’s Darkman, suggesting DC Studios has created something much closer to a traditional horror movie than a typical superhero release.

Harries has received particularly strong praise, with multiple early viewers pointing to Clayface as a potential breakout performance for the actor.

Naomi Ackie stars alongside Harries as Dr. Caitlyn Corr, the scientist whose experimental treatment plays a major role in Hagen’s transformation. The cast also includes Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan and David Dencik.

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, Clayface [dc studios]

The screenplay was written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini from a story by Flanagan, while James Gunn, Peter Safran, Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris serve as producers.

Clayface also represents another major tonal shift for the developing DC Universe. Rather than treating every project as a traditional comic book blockbuster, DC Studios appears willing to use individual characters to explore completely different genres.

If the early reactions are any indication, Clayface may be one of the studio’s biggest swings yet.

Clayface arrives in theaters October 23, 2026.

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are back on top.

Avengers: Endgame has officially reclaimed its title as the highest-grossing movie of all time, passing James Cameron’s Avatar following the successful Avengers: Endgame Encore theatrical rerelease.

The 2019 Marvel Studios blockbuster has now earned approximately $2.925 billion worldwide, narrowly surpassing Avatar, which currently sits at approximately $2.923 billion globally.

It marks another chapter in a box office battle that has gone back and forth between the two films for years.

Avatar originally held the worldwide box office record for nearly a decade before Avengers: Endgame surpassed it during its historic theatrical run in 2019.

James Cameron’s sci-fi epic eventually took the crown back following another theatrical rerelease, pushing Endgame back into second place.

Now, Marvel has returned the favor.

Chris Evans as Captain America, Avengers: Endgame [marvel studio]

The performance also shows that audiences remain interested in Marvel’s biggest team-up event more than seven years after its original release.

Endgame served as the culmination of more than a decade of Marvel Cinematic Universe storytelling, bringing together heroes including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther and many more for the final battle against Thanos.

Marvel is hoping to recapture that massive event-film atmosphere with Avengers: Doomsday.

Anthony and Joe Russo are returning to direct the upcoming Avengers film, which will once again assemble characters from across the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. will also make his highly anticipated return to the franchise, this time portraying Victor von Doom instead of Tony Stark.

The success of the Endgame rerelease could be an encouraging sign for Marvel heading into Doomsday, demonstrating that audiences are still willing to turn out for an Avengers-scale theatrical event.

For now, however, Avengers: Endgame can once again call itself the biggest movie in box office history — at least until Avatar gets another opportunity to take the crown back.

Cooper is set to star as Duke in Paramount’s upcoming G.I. Joe movie, which will be directed by Danny McBride. The new film is expected to serve as a fresh reimagining of the franchise rather than continue the previous live-action movies.

McBride will make his feature directorial debut on the project and co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.

Cooper reportedly emerged as McBride’s top choice for Duke, with the actor coming aboard after reading the screenplay and meeting with McBride about the project.

Despite McBride’s comedy background with projects including Eastbound & Down and The Righteous Gemstones, his G.I. Joe movie won’t be a comedy. McBride has previously described his approach as a more grounded combination of action and suspense.

Duke G.I. Joe

The story will follow Duke and a group of Joes into Springfield, a seemingly ordinary town that is secretly controlled by Cobra. The location has deep roots in G.I. Joe comics and could give the reboot a much different feel from the franchise’s previous globe-spanning movies.

Cooper becomes the latest actor to take on Duke in live action. Channing Tatum previously played the character in 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and returned for 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The new movie will also move forward independently from the previously planned Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover. That project, which was teased at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is no longer in development.

Cooper and McBride have worked together before, most recently when Cooper appeared in the final season of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.

Additional casting has not yet been announced, and Paramount has not set a release date for the new G.I. Joe movie.