Four Brits Vying For “Clayface” Lead Role

British actors George MacKay (“1917”), Tom Blyth (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”), Jack O’Connell (“Sinners”), and Leo Woodall (“Prime Target”) are all reportedly testing for the lead role in the “Clayface” movie at DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Scooper MyTimeToShineH revealed the casting contenders list, though it’s unclear how accurate it is. The report follows on from comments from writer Mike Flanagan himself this weekend while he was out promoting his new Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck”.

Flanagan confirmed that the character’s acclaimed two-part origin story episodes, “Feat of Clay” in the 1990’s “Batman: The Animated Series” were the big inspiration for the movie. Asked about it by ComicBook.com, Flanagan explains his love of those episodes and the famed series:

“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 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.”

Asked about how development is going, he confirms the script is going through some revisions at present. Flanagan completed his work on the script a while back, but since then, James Watkins (“The Woman in Black”) came onboard to direct, while Hossein Amini (“Drive,” “Our Kind of Traitor”) is reworking the script. As a result, Flanagan is not certain how much of his work will remain:

“I don’t know what they’re doing with Clayface. I’m not directing it, and that filmmaker will need to make it their own. I know that they’re doing work on the script. I’m off doing other things now, I really hope it remains true to the spirit of what I wanted it to be. But it’s not my movie, so I’ll be in the audience with you, anxious to see how it comes out.”

The fourth and fifth episodes of the first season of “Batman: The Animated Series” follow an actor named Matt Hagen who was disfigured in a car crash. Businessman/mob boss Roland Daggett offers him a supply of experimental face cream, allowing him to transform his face for short periods into whatever appearance he wants – at the cost of doing ‘jobs’ for Daggett.

Considered expendable after a job gone bad, Daggett’s goons force an entire vat of the substance down Hagen’s throat and leave him for dead. But he mutates into a walking creature of clay who can shapeshift into anyone at will, and he sets out for revenge against Daggett.

Filming on the movie version of the story aims to begin later this year.

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