Nicolas Cage and Michael Sheen cast in Simon Afram's cyber-thriller C.L.A.Y.

Nicolas Cage, Michael Sheen, Jordi Mollà, Emilio Sakraya and Adrian Topol are starring in C.L.A.Y., a psychological cyber-thriller written, directed and produced by Simon Afram, Deadline reported as an exclusive. 1 The film is Afram's directorial debut, and further casting is still coming together. 1 2 It reunites several key cast members from the upcoming World War II espionage feature Fortitude, which Afram wrote and produced for director Simon West. 1 2

The story follows a brilliant but socially invisible computer prodigy who is drawn into C.L.A.Y. (Clowns Laughing At You), an underground hacker collective whose exploits turn digital provocation into real-world consequences and attract the attention of intelligence agencies, criminal syndicates and rival hackers. 1 Filming is due to take place on location in London, starting in November 2026; the production company of record is Clay Pictures Ltd. 1 2 Edward Kahl, Reza Roohi and Adrian Topol are producing alongside Afram, with Bianca Goodloe, David Scaramanga and Daniel Haido as executive producers; Rich Mento is casting director. 1 2

Afram said the film is about identity, belonging and the power of the digital world over real lives, and that he wanted to make a film that pulls the audience in and remains unpredictable. 1 Screen Rant, citing Deadline, adds that Fortitude's wider cast includes Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Alice Eve, Ben Kingsley and Ron Perlman, and that the film follows British intelligence deception operations in World War II. 2 Screen Rant also notes that an unencrypted master copy of Fortitude was reportedly stolen from Netflix's Los Angeles offices on a hard drive in June 2026, and that Afram filed a $105 million lawsuit against Netflix alleging the theft undermined the film's sale, release strategy and awards campaign. 2