Even though updates have been few and far between, DC’s Swamp Thing movie is still happening. It’s being written as we speak. This, according to DC Studios co-head Peter Safran, who heads up the division at Warner Bros. alongside James Gunn (Superman, Peacemaker).
Speaking with Deadline on the red carpet for Clayface, Safran was asked about Swamp Thing. It was announced in 2023 as part of the first wave of movie and TV titles in the new DC Universe. James Mangold (Logan) is set to direct. The executive sounded very confident about the project, but he acknowledged that these things take time. Here’s what Safran had to say about it.
“We’re working on it. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. The script is being written as we speak. Listen, all these things take time and particularly when you have a filmmaker already involved, you have to wait for their window as well.”
DC Studios hasn’t been rushing to meet release dates. Rather, they wait until the project is ready to go. That means having a script they’re happy with and the right filmmaker at the helm. Mangold, for his part, has been very busy. He directed the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown in 2024. He also was finishing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny when this movie was announced. Not to mention that he had a Star Wars movie in development. Now, he finally seems to have time to work on this.
“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…Just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone,” Mangold previously said of his approach to the movie.
Swamp Thing debuted in the pages of DC Comics in House of Secrets #92 in 1971. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, he’s proved to be an enduring and beloved character in the publisher’s canon. He was initially the subject of a movie directed by Was Craven in 1982. A sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing, arrived in 1989. A short-lived live-action series produced for the DC Universe streaming service was released in 2019.
Meanwhile, several DC Studios projects have been hit with setbacks. Things have shifted behind the scenes for various reasons. Not the least of which being the recent merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Skydance is now the parent company of both studios. While Gunn and Safran are still in charge of DC, the transition led to some changes behind the scenes.
What do you think? Are you excited about this one? Do you think it’s really going to happen? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Instagram!
