The DC Universe is full steam ahead, developing countless projects while preparing to release Superman. After the Man of Steel gets his time in the spotlight, James Gunn and Co. will turn their attention to Batman and Wonder Woman, setting the stage for DC’s Trinity to come together on the big screen once again. The Dark Knight isn’t going to get a solo project in the DCU before one of his villains, though, as a Clayface movie is already on the release calendar for 2026. The project has been marinating for a few months, but it’s finally ready to reveal its star to the world.
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“After a long and incredibly exhaustive search, we finally have our DCU Clayface in Tom Rhys Harries,” Gunn revealed on Twitter. “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.”
Rhys Harries is the winner of a sweepstakes that also included George MacKay, Tom Blyth, Leo Woodall, and Jack O’Connell, who are all bigger names. The actor’s credits include Apple TV+’s Suspicion, as well as Guy Ritchie’s 2019 comedy film The Gentlemen, but major roles are few and far between on his resume. However, based on Gunn’s comments, Rhys Harries stood out among the crowd and has the qualities he believes will help bring the villain to life.
While Gunn didn’t reveal which version of Clayface Rhys Harries will play, The Wrap did some digging and got an answer. The Matt Hagen version of the character will appear in the solo movie, which is interesting because he’s far less ruthless in the source material than Basil Karlo, the original Clayface. Flanagan and Watkins could be aiming to turn Clayface into an anti-hero of sorts who uses his abilities for his own gain and to inflict pain on those he feels deserve it. The good news is that Clayface already has experience with doing both of those things in the DCU.
Clayface Won’t Be Making His DCU Debut in His Solo Movie
The Clayface movie will explore the character’s origin story, revealing what he’s like before his body changes and turns him into a monster. And with Flanagan on board, whose credits include twisted stories like The Haunting of Hill House and more emotional affairs like The Life of Chuck, the project is sure to blend genres. That’s going to be a nice change of pace because Clayface is pretty one-note during his DCU debut in Creature Commandos.
While trying to expose Ilana Rostovic’s scheme in the animated series, Rick Flag Sr. finds himself throwing down with Clayface, who is impersonating a college professor. The A.R.G.U.S. agent takes a pretty good beating before he and Eric Frankenstein electrocute the villain and knock him out. Creature Commandos makes it clear that Clayface isn’t about taking prisoners, but that doesn’t mean he’s always been that way. While some villains are evil for evil’s sake, others are people who take too many hits and can’t recover. The Clayface movie is likely to show the first time the character gets knocked down, setting the stage for his dark turn later in life.
The only other piece of the puzzle is figuring out how Clayface will fit in with the rest of Batman’s rogues gallery. If his solo movie is successful, it would be tough to relegate him to the background in a future Dark Knight project. However, Clayface is one of the few villains Batman has yet to fight in live-action, so their battle in the DCU could have more weight behind it than other potential matchups.
Clayface hits theaters on September 11, 2026.
Are you excited to see Tom Rhys Harries play Clayface in the villain’s solo movie? Are there any other DC characters that you hope appear in the project? Let us know in the comments below!
