Swamp Thing’s Reboot Won’t Feel Like the Other DC Universe Films
Swamp Thing #SwampThing
DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are teasing how the Swamp Thing reboot movie won’t feel like other DC Universe films.
Announcing their slate of projects for the revamped DCU, Gunn and Safran introduced Swamp Thing as part of their live-action cinematic lineup and how they plan to make the new cinematic iteration stand out from other DC characters. “We bring it up because it’s important to point out that in these stories, although they’re interconnected, they’re not all tonally the same,” Safran said. “Each set of filmmakers bring their own aesthetic to these films, and the fun is seeing how these tonally different works mash up in the future.”
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Created by Len Wein, Dr. Alec Holland/Swamp Thing was introduced in the pages of House of Secrets #92 (July 1971). He was a Louisiana scientist who developed a formula to solve the food shortage crisis in poor countries. Attacked in his lab by members of the Conclave organization, Holland escaped the exploding lab only to be drenched in the chemicals that turned him into a plant-composed superhuman creature harboring his memories. While the current trend in reboots is to skip origin tales, Safran confirmed that this particular reboot “will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing.”
Swamp Thing was first adapted to the big screen in 1982 under the direction of Wes Craven with Twin Peaks star Ray Wise as Alec Holland, Louis Jordan as the villainous Anton Arcane and legendary stuntman Dick Durock in the monstrously heroic title role. A sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing, was released in 1989 with Durock and Jordan reprising their roles, followed by a television series that ran for three seasons on the USA Network and a short-lived animated series on Fox Kids.
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In 2019, Swamp Thing was rebooted as a series executive produced by Underworld’s Len Wiseman for the DC Universe streaming service. Almost immediately after the pilot episode premiered, Swamp Thing was canceled due to creative differences with DC Universe’s parent company WarnerMedia. Only ten episodes aired and the series was migrated to the CW Network in October 2020.
Swamp Thing will be one part of DC Studios’ 10-year plan for the DCU and will be part of Chapter One — titled “Gods and Monsters.” The chapter will kick off with Superman: Legacy written by Gunn set for release on July 11, 2025. This will be followed by The Authority, The Brave and the Bold and Supergirl: World of Tomorrow.
Swamp Thing does not have a release date as of yet.
Source: DC