Naomi Ackie in Talks for DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’

‘Mickey 17’s Naomi Ackie in Talks for a Role in DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’

‘Speak No Evil’ director James Watkins is overseeing the movie, which will focus on the classic shape-shifting Batman villain from the pages of DC Comics.

(Left) Naomi Ackie stars in 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.' (Right) DC Comics' Clayface. Photo: DC Comics.

Preview:

Naomi Ackie is in talks to join the Clayface movie.
James Watkins is in the director’s chair.
Tom Rhys Harries has the lead role.

As ‘Superman’ continues to do solid business at the box office for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios, attention is turning to the other titles that have been confirmed for their take on the DC Universe.

Deadline brings word that Naomi Ackie, seen as Whitney Houston in musical biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ and sci-fi pic ‘Mickey 17’, is in talks for one of the main roles.

Clayface

Not Yet RatedSep 11th, 2026

A Hollywood horror tale centering on a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant, only to find out that he can reshape his face... Read the Plot

Fellow UK-born actor Tom Rhys Harries has the lead role, while James Watkins, who last directed ‘Speak No Evil’, is overseeing the movie, which has seen script work from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini.

Who is Clayface exactly?

DC Comics' Clayface. Photo: DC Comics.

If you’re not up to date on the muddy man-monster, here’s your basic briefing on Clayface as a character.

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the original Clayface, Basil Karlo, appeared in Detective Comics #40, published in June 1940, as a B-list actor who began a life of crime using the identity of a villain that he had portrayed in a horror film.

Kane stated that the character was partially inspired by the 1925 Lon Chaney version of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’; and that his name was derived from Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.

As for the tone of the movie itself, Deadline’s sources have heard that the Clayface movie is rumored to be a horror-thriller-tragedy, with the lead protagonist not expected to be portrayed as the notorious villain he’s usually seen as.

Where else have I seen Naomi Ackie?

Naomi Ackie in Tristar Pictures 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.' Photo: Tristar Pictures.

In addition to the aforementioned roles in ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and ‘Mickey 17’, Ackie’s star has been on the rise for the last few years.

Following her movie debut in 2016’s ‘Lady Macbeth’, she’s also popped up in the likes of ‘Yardie’ and ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’.

Coming up, she has the Netflix movie adaptation of Richard Osman’s murder mystery novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, which stars Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan. That one will be streaming on August 28th.

When will the Clayface movie be in theaters?

The movie has a scheduled production plan for a UK shoot at Leavesden Studios in place, and Warner Bros. and DC Studios are confirming a September 11th, 2026 theatrical release for this one.