DC Studios Casts Tom Rhys Harries as the Main Character in CLAYFACE Movie

After weeks of speculation and a shortlist of high-profile contenders, the lead role in DC Studios’ Clayface has officially been cast.While names like Jack O'Connell, Tom Blyth, Leo Woodall, and George MacKay were reportedly in the running, DC Studios co-head James Gunn has confirmed that Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries will play the tragic villain in the upcoming film after it was reported by Deadline.According to The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez, Harries is set to portray the Matt Hagen incarnation of Clayface, a character rooted in DC Comics lore as an adventurer-turned-monster after a run-in with a radioactive pool of protoplasm. However, it remains unclear how the film will blend comic continuity with the character’s more recognizable origin from Batman: The Animated Series, where Hagen was an actor who became a shape-shifting horror after being exposed to a toxic facial cream concocted by Roland Daggett.Flanagan previously opened up about the DC project and confirmed that his version of Clayface was heavily inspired by the acclaimed two-part Batman: The Animated Series episode “Feat of Clay.”When asked if his script was inspired by that, Flanagan said: “Of course it was. I mean that is the perfect [story]. ‘Feat of Clay,’ Ron Perlman, to me, that’s it. That two-parter knocked me out. The short answer is that is absolutely that is what inspired my script. “That is the world I wanted to live in. Batman: The Animated Series when I was growing up was my Batman. As much as [Michael] Keaton was my Batman, The Animated Series really was my Batman.”Harries may not be a household name, but his past credits include Apple TV+’s Suspicion, The Gentlemen, and the action thriller Kandahar. A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Harries made his West End debut in Jez Butterworth’s Mojo, sharing the stage with Colin Morgan, Rupert Grint, and Ben Whishaw.James Gunn and Peter Safran are producing the film alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves. Clayface is being helmed by See No Evil director James Watkins. The first draft of the script was penned by horror mastermind Mike Flanagan (The Life of Chuck), before being handed off to Drive writer Hossein Amini for rewrites.So what kind of Clayface are we getting here? Gunn previously said: "One of the things Peter and I talked about when we first got the script is if we were producing movies five years ago, like when we were doing Belko Experiment and all of that stuff, and somebody had brought us this horror script called Clayface about this guy, we would have died to have produced this movie."Because it was just a really excellent body horror script. And the fact that it's in the DCU is just a plus. Then we have Clayface: pure [frick]ing horror. Like totally real. Their version of that movie, it is so real and true and psychological and body horror and gross. It’s definitely R-rated."Clayface will melt into theaters on September 11, 2026.

Jun 17, 2025 - 18:40

DC Studios Casts Tom Rhys Harries as the Main Character in CLAYFACE Movie

After weeks of speculation and a shortlist of high-profile contenders, the lead role in DC Studios’ Clayface has officially been cast.

While names like Jack O'Connell, Tom Blyth, Leo Woodall, and George MacKay were reportedly in the running, DC Studios co-head James Gunn has confirmed that Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries will play the tragic villain in the upcoming film after it was reported by Deadline.

According to The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez, Harries is set to portray the Matt Hagen incarnation of Clayface, a character rooted in DC Comics lore as an adventurer-turned-monster after a run-in with a radioactive pool of protoplasm.

However, it remains unclear how the film will blend comic continuity with the character’s more recognizable origin from Batman: The Animated Series, where Hagen was an actor who became a shape-shifting horror after being exposed to a toxic facial cream concocted by Roland Daggett.

Flanagan previously opened up about the DC project and confirmed that his version of Clayface was heavily inspired by the acclaimed two-part Batman: The Animated Series episode “Feat of Clay.”

When asked if his script was inspired by that, Flanagan said: “Of course it was. I mean that is the perfect [story]. ‘Feat of Clay,’ Ron Perlman, to me, that’s it. That two-parter knocked me out. The short answer is that is absolutely that is what inspired my script.

“That is the world I wanted to live in. Batman: The Animated Series when I was growing up was my Batman. As much as [Michael] Keaton was my Batman, The Animated Series really was my Batman.”

Harries may not be a household name, but his past credits include Apple TV+’s Suspicion, The Gentlemen, and the action thriller Kandahar. A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Harries made his West End debut in Jez Butterworth’s Mojo, sharing the stage with Colin Morgan, Rupert Grint, and Ben Whishaw.

James Gunn and Peter Safran are producing the film alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves. Clayface is being helmed by See No Evil director James Watkins. The first draft of the script was penned by horror mastermind Mike Flanagan (The Life of Chuck), before being handed off to Drive writer Hossein Amini for rewrites.

So what kind of Clayface are we getting here? Gunn previously said: "One of the things Peter and I talked about when we first got the script is if we were producing movies five years ago, like when we were doing Belko Experiment and all of that stuff, and somebody had brought us this horror script called Clayface about this guy, we would have died to have produced this movie.

"Because it was just a really excellent body horror script. And the fact that it's in the DCU is just a plus. Then we have Clayface: pure [frick]ing horror. Like totally real. Their version of that movie, it is so real and true and psychological and body horror and gross. It’s definitely R-rated."

Clayface will melt into theaters on September 11, 2026.