After months of rumors and searching, DC has finally selected Tom Rhys Harries as the actor who will play legendary Batman villain and shapeshifter Clayface in the upcoming standalone DCU film.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn announced the news when sharing a Deadline article on social media platform Bluesky. It’s a promising update for the movie, which is still finding its shape as its September 11, 2026, release date inches closer.
“After a long and incredibly exhaustive search, we finally have our DCU Clayface in Tom Rhys Harries,” Gunn shared. “Both Matt Reeves and I were just blown away by this guy, and can’t wait for you to see this film, directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan.”
Clayface will be Harries’ foray into the comic book world, with the actor having previously made a name for himself with films like The Gentlemen and The Return as well as shorts like Yellowbird and Hireth. Viewers may also recognize the actor from TV series, such as White Lines and Suspicion.
We know the DCU Clayface movie will be directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and written by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Life of Chuck). With Lynn Harris and The Batman director Matt Reeves also onboard as producers, these are names that should have horror fans excited as the film preps to begin shooting soon.
While plot details largely remain under wraps, Gunn and fellow DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran did tease some of what Batman fans can expect earlier this year. We know that the movie will tell Clayface’s origin story, for example, with Gunn specifically teasing that the project will be “pure f***ing horror” with “psychological and body horror” elements baked into the mix, too.
We’ll learn more about how Clayface will mold his own corner in the DCU in the near future. In the meantime, you can check out everything we know about every upcoming DCU project. You can also check out why Batman has recently turned out to be quite the issue for Gunn.
Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Wheely.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
