Clayface Cast Rumor Debunked by James Gunn, Keiran Culkin May Be Eyed

DC Studios boss James Gunn debunked a Clayface movie cast rumor. However, a second supposed contender for the Batman villain has surfaced from the same source of the rumor Gunn refuted.

After Mike Flanagan’s Clayface movie script was greenlit for production, DC Studios began searching for a director to helm the DC Universe film, as Flanagan’s commitments to Universal’s new Exorcist movie prevented him from directing the project himself. Horror filmmaker James Watkins was rumored to be a Clayface director contender, with later Gunn confirming that they were closing a deal with Watkins. Of course, there’s still the matter of casting the titular Batman villain, and Gunn recently denied considering one of the actors reportedly being eyed.

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On Threads, Gunn addressed Jeff Sneider’s report on Daniel Radcliffe being considered to play Clayface in the DCU movie. The DC Studios boss said they haven’t started casting the Clayface role because the film doesn’t have a director yet (a deal “closing” is not the same as a done deal). While Gunn acknowledged that “Daniel [Radcliffe] is great,” he denied talking with or considering the former Harry Potter actor for the role, calling Sneider’s scoop “100% false.” During a recent episode of The Hot Mic, Sneider defended his reporting and revealed the identity of the second unnamed actor he mentioned was also being considered for Clayface in his report on Radcliffe.

According to Sneider, Kieran Culkin is also considered for the Clayface role. Culkin is arguably best known for his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning performance as Roman Roy in HBO’s Succession. He is also considered the frontrunner to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the 2025 Academy Awards after winning several accolades for his performance as Benji Kaplan in writer and director Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain. On The Hot Mic, Sneider explained that he didn’t mention Culkin was the other actor being considered for Clayface in his initial report because he didn’t know if he “bought” that Culkin would choose to do the DCU film if he wins the Oscar.

Casting either Radcliffe or Culkin could have benefits for the Clayface movie besides both being talented actors. While comic book fans may be excited to see Clayface potentially do the Batman villain justice, general audiences may not be familiar enough with the character to flock to theaters for his solo feature film. Radcliffe is the face of the Harry Potter franchise, and Culkin has his fans from Succession (and perhaps his small but memorable role Fuller in the first two Home Alone movies), so they bring a built-in audience to the Clayface movie if they play the titular role. Both actors are already part of the Warner Bros. family (WB owns HBO and the screen rights to Harry Potter), so either Radcliffe or Culkin being cast as Clayface seems like a winning strategy. Of course, Warner Bros. could choose someone else, and with Clayface starting production in the summer of 2025, fans may find out soon.

Clayface is scheduled to be released in theaters on September 11, 2026.

Clayface

Release Date

September 11, 2026

Director

Mike Flanagan

Writers

Mike Flanagan

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Source: The Hot Mic