Learning that Mike Flanagan is writing a movie about Clayface is, personally, one of the most exciting updates to the slate of upcoming DC movies I have heard in a long time (especially when considering how slow progress for Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II appears to be going). The announcement of the Clayface movie has brought up some questions, such as who is directing and whether or not Batman will appear, but what I am most curious about at the moment is who will take on the title role.
According to Variety, Flanagan (the mind behind some of the best horror movies in recent memory) previously pitched the idea to DC Studios as a “horror/thriller tragedy,” which suggests to me that portraying this villain – basically a humanoid blob who can imitate any person he wishes – is going to take some heavy lifting. Below, I have a few ideas of what actors could handle the weight of playing Clayface in what is technically an upcoming Batman movie. Who might be in the best shape to mold the character into perfection?
Christopher Abbott
Clayface has taken on many different iterations in the pages of DC Comics and in adaptations but two of the most definitive aspects to the criminal’s story are elements similar to a body horror movie and themes of identity loss. Christopher Abbott – who recently played a villiain in a the new superhero movie, Kraven the Hunter – is an actor who has tackled both, as a man who loses control of his body in 2020’s Possessor and a husband and father undergoing a grotesque transformation in Blumhouse’s Wolf Man movie, which is due in 2025.
Brad Pitt
The first and most famous version of Clayface is Basil Karlo – a 1940s B-movie actor who takes on the eponymous moniker, based on a character he once played, after being passed for the opportunity to reprise another famous role drives him to madness. Despite the homicidal tendencies, the character reminds me a bit of Brad Pitt’s tragic role in Babylon as Jack Conrad – an aging actor longing to reclaim his glory days – which is why I believe the Academy Award winner, who is also lacking in many comic book roles, would be a great fit for the part.
Brendan Fraser
An Academy Award winner who has real-life experience with the struggle of fading in and out of the spotlight is Brendan Fraser, who has already dipped his feet in the world of DC as Robotman on Doom Patrol. However, he came oh so close to shining in a DC villain role (Firefly) before the nearly finished Batgirl movie was cancelled, and I think leading Clayface would be a wonderful consolation.
Zach Gilford
An actor whom I believe would also be a great choice to portray the vain and self-destructive tendencies of Clayface is Zach Gilford, based on his performance as a younger Roderick Usher in the great Netflix horror TV show, The Fall of the House of Usher. The miniseries is actually just one of a few acclaimed Mike Flanagan TV shows he has starred in (also including Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club), which could also increase his chances of landing the gig.
Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Another alum of the Flanagan Family whom I really admire is Oliver Jackson-Cohen, whose performance in 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House as recovering addict Luke Crain shows he has also mastered playing self-destructive characters. However, it is his performance as the ghostly Peter in The Haunting of Bly Manor that convinces me he is even better at portraying characters who are sinister but somewhat sympathetic, which would be key to playing Clayface.
Paul Mescal
Taking the necessity of making Clayface sympathetic into account, a performer who especially comes to mind as a perfect fit in that regard would be Paul Mescal. The Irish actor and Gladiator II star pours raw emotion in every role he plays and someone with his skills would make this strange comic book villain more real than ever.
Bill Skarsgård
For some, Bill Skarsgård’s attempt at playing a comic book hero with the 2024 reboot of The Crow serves as further proof that the star of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu especially shines as a villain. Perhaps, by channeling the shapeshifting entity he previously played in the creepy clown movies, It and It Chapter Two, he could make an astounding DC movie debut as the most intimidating Clayface ever.
Ron Perlman
Most fans might agree that the absolute strongest performance as Clayface in an adaptation yet was voiced by Ron Perlman in one of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, “Feats of Clay.” Combining both elements of Basil Karlo’s Silver Age and Post-Crisis iterations, the portrayal is recognized as one of the most definitive versions of the villain. Thus, the former Hellboy actor understands the role on a deeper level than just about anyone else, making him deserving of the chance to bring him to life in live-action.
Christian Bale
Since appearing in one of the recent Marvel movies (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Gorr the God-butcher, people have been curious if one of the best Batman actors, Christian Bale, could return to the world of DC Comics in another role one day. Would it not be amazing to see the chameleonic Academy Award winner make his return to the DC movies by leading Clayface as a, literally, chameleonic actor?
As noted in one of Adam Holmes’ own questions about Clayface, it is possible that Alan Tudyk already has the role, because the beloved actor already voices him for both Harley Quinn and James Gunn’s new DC TV show, Creature Commandos. Of course, that would depend on the continuity followed by this new DCU movie, which could be another Elseworlds story set in Matt Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga. Until we know for sure, any of the actors above have my vote to play Clayface.
