‘Clayface’: Naomie Ackie in Talks to Join DCU Film!!

DC Studios is making some serious headway with Clayface, its unexpected and eerie entry into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting today that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Mickey 17 star Naomie Ackie, 32, is in early talks to join the cast of the upcoming film, which will be directed by Speak No Evil’s James Watkins. Ackie would join rising Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries, who has already been cast in the title role, playing one of the most bizarre and tragic characters from Batman’s rogues gallery. According to insiders, casting sessions recently took place in England, where Ackie emerged as the top choice. Formal negotiations are expected to begin this week.

The movie, written initially by Mike Flanagan with a recent polish by Hossein Amini, is described as a “body horror thriller” with structural and emotional echoes of David Cronenberg’s The Fly. The story reportedly centres on a struggling actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. Desperate and broken, he turns to a controversial biotech scientist (think Elizabeth Holmes with a scalpel) who offers an experimental solution that seems miraculous—until it isn’t. The budget is said to be in the mid-$40 million range, which is nothing for a film under a banner like DC, and should hopefully guarantee a profit. Production is gearing up for a start in the coming months, with Clayface slated for theatrical release on September 11, 2026.

That makes it the third feature film of the new DCU era, following Superman and Supergirl. While the film wasn’t announced in Gunn and Safran’s initial Chapter One: Gods and Monsters rollout, its development has been fast-tracked in recent months, with Matt Reeves (director of The Batman) onboard as a producer alongside Lynn Harris, Gunn, and Safran.

Who Will Naomie Ackie Play in Clayface?

Details about Ackie’s potential role are under wraps, but industry chatter suggests she could be playing either the scientist responsible for Clayface’s transformation—or the love interest caught in the emotional fallout of the character’s descent into monstrous self-loathing. Either way, it’ll be a meaty role, without question. Ackie’s recent work has included starring roles in I Wanna Dance with Somebody as Whitney Houston, and last year’s Blink Twice, directed by Zoë Kravitz. She’s currently on screens in A24’s Sorry, Baby and will soon appear in Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club alongside Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, as well as Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters.