Naomi Ackie 'in early talks for Clayface role'
The 32-year-old actress - who has appeared in the likes of Mickey 17 and Blink Twice - is said to be in initial discussions to join Tom Rhys Harries in Mike Flanagan's take on the Batman villain.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, several sources have revealed that formal negotiations are set to get underway this week.
Ackie is said to have joined in reading sessions in the UK last week, and emerged as a favourite for DCU bosses.
Speak No Evil director James Watkins will be at the helm, with Rhys Harries playing the titular role from a script written by The Haunting of Hill House director Flanagan.
The body horror thriller is focused on the supervillain and his appearance-altering powers, with comparisons to the feel and structure od 1986 classic The Fly.
That film followed a relationship between a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) fused with the DNA of a fly, and the journalist (Geena Davis) writing about the discovery.
For Clayface, an B-movie actor's life is changed for ever when his face gets disfigured by a gangster.
He desperately seeks out a scientist for help, and while the experiment is initially a success, things take a sinister turn.
The film is slated to shoot at Warner Bros. Leavesden studio in the UK later this year as it marches towards its September 2026 release date.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clayface will be a 'stripped down movie', with a budget of approximately $40 million.
DC Studios boss and Superman director James Gunn recently opened up on his vision for the wider cinematic universe, and insisted there can't be a set style or genre across each film.
He told CBS Mornings: "We've got Clayface, which is a totally different thing. Although it's in the same universe, it's a complete horror film. "That's one of the things we want to do. There's not a company style. It's not like every movie is going to be like Superman.
"The artists — the directors and the writers — each one will bring their own sense to it… "That's what we want to bring to the films because we don't want people to get bored. We want to invigorate people."
Meanwhile, fans are eagerly awaiting The Batman Part II from filmmaker Matt Reeves, who recently completed the script for the highly anticipated follow-up.
When asked at the Superman world premiere in Los Angeles earlier this month if he has read the script, he simply told ScreenRant: "It's great!"
Gunn then made a swift exit from the chat, but was smiling as he walked further down the carpet.
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