Fans are still feeling bummed by the acclaimed Swamp Thing series getting canceled after a single season in 2019, but the character will next appear on the big screen with his own feature film set in the DCU. The movie will be directed by Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny helmer James Mangold, and Mark Verheiden — the co-showrunner of the one-season Swamp Thing series — recently shared how he’s excited about what this means for the future of DC adaptations.
“James Mangold, who’s a great guy, is apparently working on a Swamp Thing movie, which is great,” Verheiden said in a Multiverse of Color interview. “He’ll give a great take on it. So, hopefully, that maybe kicks off a little more of the darker characters [getting their own projects]… I’m really hopeful for what James Gunn brings to the world. It feels like the old, sort of the last regime’s DC movies maybe aren’t doing quite as well as they had hoped, so, maybe this new take will… They’re talking about encompassing darker characters [in the DCU], so that’d be great.”
The DCU Already Has the Perfect Swamp Thing Blueprint
James Mangold is directing a Swamp Thing movie for the DCU, but the character’s recent short-lived TV series was already a great adaptation.
Would Mark Verheiden Want to Get Involved With the DCU?
Verheiden also seems open to doing more work with DC characters if Gunn extends the invitation to get involved with the DCU. While the Swamp Thing character obviously has a project in the works already, Verheiden shared which other character he’d be most excited to take on if given the opportunity.
“Well, I’m not sure I have a dark character… the character I would love to do in the DC Universe, more than ever, would be a funny Bizarro,” he said, “which sounds weird, but I love Bizarro. I always have, and I just think a half-hour sitcom starring Bizarro would be amazing. With that said, I’ll be honest with you, at this point in my career, I would never say never to anything.”
Man-Thing Vs Swamp Thing: Both Were Based On An Older Monster
For years, fans have argued about the similarities between Marvel and DC’s swamp monsters, but few know they both were based on a Golden Age monster.
The Swamp Thing series was developed by Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman. Derek Mears played the titular monster while Andy Bean played Alec Holland; other cast members included Crystal Reed, Virginia Madsen, Maria Sten, Henderson Wade, Jeryl Prescott, Will Patton, Jennifer Beals, and Kevin Durand. The news of its cancelation was announced shortly after the show, which boasts a high score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, premiered on the now-defunct streaming service DC Universe in 2019.
The Swamp Thing series is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
Source: Multiverse of Color
Swamp Thing
Abby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, only to discover the dark, terrifying mysteries of the swamp.
- Release Date
- May 31, 2019
- Cast
- Crystal Reed , Virginia Madsen , Andy Bean , Derek Mears , Henderson Wade , Maria Sten , Jeryl Prescott , Will Patton , Kevin Durand
- Creator
- Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden