The 2024 TV schedule marks the dawn of James Gunn’s DCU, thanks to the December debut of Creature Commandos. With an all-star cast that includes iconic voice actor Alan Tudyk, this new Max Original Series is going to kick off the future of upcoming DC TV shows and movies with several bangs. Playing the role of team member Dr. Phosphorus, the Harley Quinn star has now revealed that he'll also be reprising the role of Clayface in this new project. All the while, I still can’t get over a video that shows him portraying two very different variants of the character.
Mr. Tudyk’s Disney good luck charm status is very much apparent at this point, and that status seems to have bled into his work for DC Studios as well. That much seems to be presented in James Gunn’s decision to also have the actor play his Clayface character in yet another animated project. However, as Alan Tudyk explained alongside his fellow Creature Commandos cast members in a Rotten Tomatoes interview, this new Max Original will spin his character in the following manner:
I think it’s a spoiler, I don’t think I’ve been able to [say]. Anyway, I actually play Clayface in this series. So I play Clayface in Harley Quinn … and he’s an idiot. But in [Creature Commandos] Clayface is a killer. We have a huge fight, and he’s a homicidal maniac.
Alan Tudyk, Rotten Tomatoes
I think it’s safe to say that a homicidal Clayface fighting Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr., even in the animated medium of Creature Commandos, is a total win. And the Marvel Cinematic Universe vet was just as excited about that prospect as those of us in the audience. That's especially because Grillo was recorded experiencing his own moment of awe, which you can see in a snippet from that aforementioned interview below:
Alan Tudyk is confirmed to be playing CLAYFACE in DCU! pic.twitter.com/cQ5Zh7Pt6mNovember 19, 2024
The level of talent on display in that clip is nothing short of incredible. It goes without saying that there's a reason why the Firefly alum is among the industry's most sought-after voice actors. Still, the sight of him switching voices so seamlessly is just too wild not to geek out over.
Everything we know about DCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters has shown us that this isn’t a total top down reboot away from the previous era of the DCEU. Rather, this is a selective revamp that’ll allow James Gunn and his team to put its own stamp on the landscape, while keeping some characters as either mainline players or Elseworlds-style spinoffs.
Similar to how the Guardians of the Galaxy director also has Frank Grillo playing Rick Flag Sr. in the live-action Superman cast, he has that very same mindset when it comes to Creature Commandos’ future as well. Now, it appears that this sort of continuity has been ingrained in the animated wing of DC Studios as well, with Alan Tudyk being given yet another heinous part to play.
In his excitement for this news, the Moana 2 actor shared these further remarks about how amped he was about the mere possibility:
It’s the same character. That’s what’s great, what’s really cool about DC. I get to play the actual same character two completely different ways, and I like them both. It’s really nice that James let me play Clayface, I was so happy. I didn’t even have to ask, I was going to ask when I saw it in there.
Alan Tudyk, Rotten Tomatoes
With the ability to shift his voice for characters of various species, personality types, and franchises, I, for one, am not surprised that Alan Tudyk was a shoo in for staying on board as Clayface. To borrow a James Bond analogy, you don’t just recast M when you’ve got Judi Dench commanding the role, even with a light reboot like Casino Royale.
James Gunn’s understanding of this concept has me even more excited to see how he employs this approach in the future, especially if any of the Creature Commandos team members cross over into live-action. As for the animated versions of these anti-heroes, the'y'll be settling into their new streaming digs for anyone with a Max subscription, starting on December 5. Weekly drops will occur until January 9, 2025; so be sure to keep your subscription active if you’re looking to stay current on the action ahead.
