A ‘Swamp Thing’ Movie Is Happening (Apparently!) And A Big-Name Director Could Be On-Board (Maybe!)

One of the surprising reveals coming out of James Gunn’s DC Studios slate is the announcement of a Swamp Thing movie, particularly after the comic book character was the focus of a short-lived series for the DC Universe app. Even more surprising: the film may be on the fast track to becoming a reality and with a revered comic book director at the helm.

James Mangold is in negotiations to direct the Swamp Thing film, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which would see him follow a similar trajectory as Gunn in making the jump from Marvel to DC Comics. Mangold delivered the critically-acclaimed Logan and will roll out Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny later this year, making him the first director since Steven Spielberg to tackle an Indy adventure.

Mangold also hinted at his involvement with Swamp Thing in a late-night tweet following the DC Universe Chapter 1 announcement:

— Mangold (@mang0ld) February 1, 2023

According to THR, the Swamp Thing film will reportedly close out the first chapter, which is currently titled “Gods and Monsters.”

At Tuesday’s presentation, Gunn and Safran said the new movie “investigates the dark origins of Swamp Thing.” And while calling it a “horrific film,” the character would still be interacting with other DC characters, with the tonal clash a key allure of any mash-up.

Of course, it should be noted that this would not be the first Swamp Thing film. The character first appeared in two movies in the ’80s that are, well, let’s just say definite products of their time. There was also an old TV show that ran on USA in the ’90s, which was slightly better… ish.