in Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries, who, while comparatively unknown in the U.S., will take on the role as Batman’s shapeshifting nemesis.

The feature titled Clayface will be directed by Speak No Evil’s James Watkins from a script by Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan. The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves will produce alongside Lynn Harris and DC Studios co-CEOs Peter Safran and James Gunn. The budget for this project is reported to be $40 million, and the plot will follow a “B-movie actor who becomes a walking piece of clay after injecting himself with a substance in an attempt to keep himself relevant.”

This casting ends the search for Safran and Gunn for the DC villain that centered around finding a young British actor for the role. A couple of the rumored actors the co-CEOs met with were Tom Blyth, Jack O’Connell, and Tom MacKay.

The character could be Harries’ big break, given the performance, though he has been building television and screen credits since he was twenty. His early roles included the BBC drama Jekyll & Hyde and the comedy horror feature Slaughterhouse Rulez. In recent years, he has had roles in short-lived productions like AppleTV+’s Suspicion and Netflix’s White Lines.

Clayface is set to release in theaters on September 11, 2026.