It was announced earlier this year that a brand new Swamp Thing horror movie is on DC’s slate of upcoming projects, said to “investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing.” James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) soon became attached to direct for WB/DC, and Mangold provides an update in a new chat with Variety.
During the chat, Mangold stresses multiple times that he’s not interested in treating franchise installments like feature length episodes of a television series, but rather his intent as a filmmaker is to tell complete stories from beginning to end. In other words, don’t expect Mangold’s Swamp Thing to merely be a small part of much larger DC plans for the character.
“While I’m sure DC views ‘Swamp Thing’ as a franchise, I would be viewing it as a very simple, clean, Gothic horror movie about this man/monster,” Mangold tells the outlet.
He explains that he’s been “toying for years with the idea of making a kind of Frankenstein movie,” again stressing that he’s “just doing my own thing with this; just a standalone.”
“I am interested in making something that works from beginning to end — to curtain,” he notes during the chat, speaking more broadly about his filmmaking desires in general (see: Logan). “Otherwise, I’m working on the world’s most expensive television show.”
Swamp Thing of course most recently came to the small screen in a short-lived TV series for DC Universe. Derek Mears played the character in the show’s one and only season.
There was also a Swamp Thing feature film back in 1982, directed by Wes Craven and starring Dick Durock as the Swamp Thing. That film spawned a sequel as well as a TV series.
Wikipedia reminds, “A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in various different storylines. The character first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (July 1971) in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century. The character then returned in a solo series, set in the contemporary world and in the general DC continuity.
“The character is a swamp monster that resembles an anthropomorphic mound of vegetable matter, and fights to protect his swamp home, the environment in general, and humanity from various supernatural or terrorist threats.”
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