Behind the Mask of Clayface: A Rising British Star Becomes DC’s Shape-Shifting Villain
DC taps fresh talent for its most elusive villain yet.
Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries has been cast as Clayface in DC Studios’ upcoming feature, marking a major step forward in the studio’s ambitious new chapter under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Known for his roles in White Lines and The Gentlemen, Harries was chosen from a fiercely competitive shortlist of British talent that included Jack O’Connell, Tom Blyth and George MacKay.
The film will be directed by James Watkins, best known for the chilling Speak No Evil, and is set to follow Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in DC's upcoming cinematic slate. Clayface — first introduced in Detective Comics back in 1940 — is one of Batman’s more theatrical foes: a former actor whose descent into villainy is matched only by his uncanny ability to shift form at will. With a malleable body made of clay and a penchant for identity theft, he’s long been a fan-favourite in animated series and video games — though this will be his first proper spotlight on the big screen.
Filming will take place at Warner Bros’ Leavesden Studios in the UK, with Gunn, Safran, The Batman’s Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris producing. Mike Flanagan penned the initial draft of the script, with further work by Drive and The Wings of the Dove screenwriter Hossein Amini — suggesting a tone that could be as psychological as it is superpowered.
With Harries’ classical theatre background — including a West End debut opposite the likes of Ben Whishaw and Rupert Grint — this casting signals an intriguing direction for DC: a villain defined as much by performance as power. Given Clayface’s history as a man who quite literally loses himself in his roles, Rhys Harries might just be the perfect mirror for the character — and a wildcard addition to the ever-evolving DC Universe.
