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First plot details emerge about DC Studios' Cronenberg-esque Clayface
The script was written by Mike Flanagan and will be directed by James Watkins, giving us plenty of reason to be excited for the DCU Clayface movie.
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Following the success of James Gunn’s Superman, the future of the DCU feels brighter than it ever has. We’re still waiting for details on most of the titles on the DC Studios slate, but one of the biggest question marks has always been the Mike Flanagan-written Clayface movie, which has been described as a Cronenberg-esque body horror film directed by James Watkins. (Specifically, the film is said to echo Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly.) Now, we seem to have the first plot details for the Batman villain’s first live-action portrayal in the DCU.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will star Tom Rhys Harries as an “ascending actor” whose face gets scarred by a gangster. To try to recover his good looks, he turns to a scientist played by Naomi Ackie, who offers him an experimental treatment that turns him into the titular shapeshifting villain. Max Minghella, who is best known for playing Nick in Hulu's The Handmaid’s Tale, is in final negotiations to join the cast as a Gotham City detective who is dating Ackie’s character.
What follows the treatment is, presumably, a body horror thriller as Harries’ character struggles to maintain his humanity as his body becomes malleable like clay. There is no indication that Harries’ Clayface will interact with the DCU’s Batman, or even if any other members of Batman’s rogues gallery will feature in the movie.
We know that James Gunn didn’t plan on making a stand-alone Clayface movie initially, but picked it up based on the strength of Flanagan’s script, so we have high hopes for how this horror film lands with fans. Clayface is due in theaters on September 11, 2026.
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