Swamp Thing - Director, Development Details, And More Info

The old DC Universe is dead, long live the DC Universe. As we get closer and closer to the rebirth of James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC hierarchy of power, there is plenty to be excited about, from new takes on iconic characters to fresh faces making the leap to the big screen.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new universe is the opportunity to get deeply weird, and no project feels as full of potential for weirdness as "Swamp Thing." We don't know much about the movie just yet, but it's a sign of confidence that "Swamp Thing" was the first upcoming DC movie to get a director announcement (aside from James Gunn tackling "Superman: Legacy"), so it's clear DC's resident green monster will be an important part of the new universe. 

There's plenty to be excited about and to speculate over as we await the release of "Swamp Thing," so let's dive into what we know of the movie so far.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that "Swamp Thing" will be done anytime soon. While the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes concluded in late 2023, they undoubtedly had an impact on the DC films' production. Plus, Mangold is rather busy for the near future. The director is not only working on his Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet titled "A Complete Unknown," but there's also Mangold's announced "Star Wars" movie titled "Dawn of the Jedi," which is reportedly a biblical epic set in the galaxy far, far away about the earliest days of the Force. 

In addition to directing, Mangold is set to pen the script for "Swamp Thing," with the initial report about his involvement stating that the filmmaker had actually approached James Gunn and Peter Safran with ideas. In the announcement for the DC Universe slate, Gunn suggested "Swamp Thing" would be the darkest in tone, and he did name-drop Alan Moore's legendary "Saga of the Swamp Thing" run as inspiration. As part of the new DC Universe, both James Gunn and Peter Safran will serve as producers of "Swamp Thing." 

It was announced earlier in February 2023 that James Mangold, the director behind the Oscar-winning "Logan" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," was in talks to helm the feature adaptation of "Swamp Thing." This confirmed what had been rumored for a while after Mangold took to social media to tease his involvement with the project, sharing illustrations of the character by co-creator Bernie Wrightson.

Unlike Gunn, who started his career making horror films, Mangold's resume doesn't exactly scream the kind of horror most associated with Swamp Thing. Still, he's shown he's capable of handling big-budget spectacle movies with a lot of heart like "Ford v Ferrari," and his double-punch of "The Wolverine" and "Logan" remains a highlight of the "X-Men" series, with the latter being one of the best superhero movies of all time. 

Speaking with Variety about his vision for the film, Mangold explained that he'd wanted to make a Frankenstein-like movie for a long time, and "Swamp Thing" fit the bill. He also said he'd be treating it as a film that should stand on its own two, leafy feet. "While I'm sure DC views 'Swamp Thing' as a franchise," Mangold elaborated, "I would be viewing it as a very simple, clean, gothic horror movie about this man/monster."

Swamp Thing is one of the best DC characters — and one of the weirdest comic book characters, period. The brainchild of writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing started out as a mostly "Beauty and the Beast" story with a green monster and some cool horror ideas thrown in. Then came Alan Moore, a notorious weirdo, who completely reinvented the character. Moore's run was a pivotal milestone for DC Comics, one that delivered a new kind of dark and mature comic and kickstarted a trend that redefined comics for years to come. 

Moore's run is deeply weird, full of existential questions, gothic horror, cosmic plant-based sex scenes, and sci-fi concepts like The Green, a cosmic force connecting all plant life. It's wild, it's trippy, and did we mention the plant-based sex scenes? It's also in Moore's run that we first meet John Constantine, so there's that too.

After Moore, Swamp Thing would continue to be reinvented and reimagined through the years, with everyone from Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughan, Charles Soule, and Scott Snyder writing about the character. Swamp Thing's powers are as varied as the imaginations of his writers, being able to transform his body at will, even to the size of a mountain. He's also essentially immortal and able to teleport to anywhere there is plant life. This makes him a big part of the DC universe in the comics, occasionally fighting alongside the Justice League but usually belonging to the Justice League Dark team.

As mentioned, "Swamp Thing" is part of the first chapter of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe, officially called "Gods and Monsters." This first phase also includes reboots for Superman, Batman, and Supergirl, as well as the big screen debut of The Authority, a morally complex team with connections to Superman. On the TV front, there are shows based on Amanda Waller, the Green Lanterns, the Amazons, Creature Commandos, and also the greatest hero no one knows, Booster Gold, all in development. 

Out of these, Swamp Thing is arguably the most exciting because it gives us something we haven't seen in DC movies (at least the live-action ones) yet — horror. Swamp Thing is as weird as the author wants it to be, but at its core, it is a gothic horror story, hopefully one with the potential to introduce all the darker DC characters like John Constantine and pave the way for a Justice League Dark movie.