Clayface: Will Alan Tudyk return as the titular character? James Gunn gives a definitive answer

Two months after the movie was officially confirmed, we have something official about the Clayface movie. While the director for the solo film featuring the Batman villain is yet to be confirmed, James Gunn, the Co-CEO of DC Studios confirmed that actor Alan Tudyk, who voiced the character in Creature Commandos will not be playing the titular character in the movie.

DC Studios organized a press event on February 21, 2025, at the Warner Bros. lot headed by heads Peter Safran and James Gunn. During this event, Gunn confirmed that Tudyk, won't be returning in the feature film because Clayface wasn't Tudyk's "primary role" in Creature Commandos, the first project in the new DCU.

Why Tudyk isn't returning as Clayface in the solo movie?

In January 2023, when James Gunn announced the projects of the new DC Universe, James Gunn told the press that actors voicing the characters in animation would play them in live-action too. Therefore, David Harbor, who voiced the animated Eric Frankenstein in Creature Commandos, should return to play the character when he appears in live-action.

However, the recent Tudyk update stands in firm contrast to what Gunn said back in 2023. However, Gunn did clarify that Alan Tudyk's main role in the DCU is that of Doctor Phosphorus in Creature Commandos instead of Clayface. Therefore, it looks like the studio is searching for an actor to play a role in the solo movie with a script by Mike Flanagan.

While some may find it disappointing, what needs to be noted is that Flanagan's script supposedly falls under the body horror genre. However, fans associated Tudyk's interpretation of the shape-shifting Batman villain with comedy because the actor also voices Clayface in the Harley Quinn series, which falls under the "Elseworlds" umbrella.

Then there's also the issue with the villain's supposed "death" in the fifth Creature Commandos episode.

Did Clayface die in Creature Commandos?

In the fifth episode of Creature Commandos, "The Iron Pot", Frankenstein electrocutes the shapeshifter to save his and Rick Flag Sr.'s lives. We don't see him after that. Viewers were confused about the villain's status in the DCU and what the solo movie be about. However, James Gunn himself clarified that the villain is alive by saying this in his Bluesky account:

"The reports of Clayface's death have been greatly exaggerated. He is quite mushy though."

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This means that the character we meet in Creature Commandos will be the one headlining the solo movie. However, the actor playing him in live-action will differ from the actor voicing the character in animation. While some may find this change a bit bothering, if James Gunn is to be believed, this change is minor.

Gunn also revealed something interesting about this specific movie. He said that neither he nor Peter Safran was planning for a solo film around this fan-favorite Batman villain, who has been adapted in numerous TV shows but hasn't appeared in the movies. Mike Flanagan's script impressed them enough to green-light the project.

Apart from the official confirmation of Alan Tudyk's involvement in the solo movie, the solo supervillain movie also had an interesting rumor regarding the director last week. The rumor states that Speak No Evil's James Watkins would be the man helming the supervillain feature. However, it hasn't been officially confirmed yet.