James Gunn shuts down rumors of Daniel Radcliffe playing DC villain Clayface: '100% false'

Daniel Radcliffe just can't escape the superhero movie rumor mill.

DC Studios boss James Gunn debunked rumors that the Harry Potter alum is in consideration to play Clayface in the upcoming DC movie of the same name. Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) will pen the screenplay, while James Watkins (Speak No Evil, Eden Lake) is in talks to direct.

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"As we confirmed the other day, we’re closing a deal with James to direct. Because we don’t have a director yet, we haven’t even started the casting process," said Gunn in a post shared on Threads. "Daniel is great but we certainly haven’t talked to or considered him. So this one is 100% false."

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Clayface, a shape-shifting creature made of clay, was introduced in 1940 as one of the earliest Batman antagonists, appearing as various iterations across several live-action and animated projects. Plot details for the new film are scarce at the time, but Gunn previously described it as a "body horror" and said it would be R-rated.

Matt Reeves, who directed 2022's The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and is fresh off executive producing HBO's The Penguin series, will also produce the feature slotted for a Sept. 11, 2026 theatrical release.

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As for Radcliffe, this isn't the first time he's been at the center of casting rumors pertaining to the superhero genre. The short king was previously said to be circling the role of X-Men character Wolverine for Marvel, a rumor he disputed. "This is something that comes up every so often. I think because in the comics Wolverine is short, so every so often they're like, 'Who's a short actor?'" Radcliffe said in 2022 during a visit to The View. "There's never been any actual truth to it."

Radcliffe said he certainly was not opposed to franchise fans advocating for him, though. "I will not stop anybody from doing anything," added Radcliffe at the time. "Any comparison that implies me being even remotely in the world of Hugh Jackman is inherently flattering."

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