Tom Rhys Harries, a relative newcomer, has scored the high-profile lead role in “Clayface,” an upcoming DC Studios adventure.
James Gunn, the head honcho at DC, delivered the news on social media, tweeting, “After a long and incredibly exhaustive search, we finally have our DCU Clayface in Tom Rhys Harries. Both [‘The Batman’ director] Matt Reeves and I were just blown away by this guy, and can’t wait for you to see this film.”
Reeves is producing “Clayface,” which is written by Mike Flanagan (“The Fall of the House of Usher”) and directed by James Watkins (“Eden Lake”). The film is less superhero adventure than body horror flick, focusing on a B-movie actor who drinks a substance that’s supposed to help his career and which instead leaves him made entirely of clay. Think “Death Becomes Her” with fewer jokes.
And for the bulk of readers thinking Tom Rhys Harries, who? Well, he’s an up-and-coming Welsh actor who has impressed in the likes of the Apple TV series “Suspicion” opposite Uma Thurman, as well as “Kandahar,” an action film with Gerard Butler, Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentleman,” and “The Return,” where he shared the screen with thespians like Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.
Production on “Clayface” will begin the fall and the film will open on September 11, 2026. DC Studios is trying to reestablish itself under Gunn after many creative setbacks and flops such as “The Flash” and “Black Adam.” Reeves’ version of the Dark Knight was a rare success and a follow-up is eagerly anticipated. The company will have a relaunch with this summer’s “Superman,” which Gunn directed as well as wrote, and will also release “Supergirl” next year. Gunn is best known for his stewardship of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise at Marvel.
Rhys Harries is repped by UTA and the Curtis Brown Group in the U.K.
