One of the DC Universe movies that has had a slow development process is the Swamp Thing film from James Mangold. The project was one of the first entries revealed during January 2023, when DC Studios unveiled their initial line-up for the DCU’s Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters.”
While the filmmaker has just inked a new deal with Paramount Pictures, it raised questions about whether Swamp Thing is still moving forward. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the outlet spoke with Gunn and asked if Mangold’s film is dead, with the DC Studios co-CEO stating, “No, no, it doesn’t. No.”
Gunn is still hopeful about the Swamp Thing movie happening, sharing, “Yeah, I mean, yeah, totally. Absolutely.” The Superman and Man of Tomorrow director followed up by confirming that he and Mangold have had conversations, “Yeah. We’ve talked to him. He’s still invested. So we’ll see. Some things take a long time. We’ll see what happens.”
Swamp Thing is one of the upcoming DCU movies that has been taking longer than expected, as the upcoming Batman reboot, The Brave and The Bold, is still being written. A handful of TV shows have also been taking longer to work out, including Viola Davis’ Waller series.
The titular character, created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, has had several live-action versions over the years, including a handful of film adaptations. The latest incarnation headlined his own TV show on the DC Universe streaming service for a single season before being cancelled.
Gunn’s franchise has finished for 2025 after the conclusion of Peacemaker season 2 on HBO Max. The next release will be HBO’s Lanterns TV show, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2026, starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is also confirmed to appear in the sci-fi drama, after being introduced in Superman.
For theatrical releases, the Supergirl movie with Milly Alcock will be flying into theaters on June 26, 2026, following her DCU debut in 2025’s Superman. Clayface will arrive on September 11, 2026, focusing on the famous Batman villain, played by Tom Rhys Harries as DC’s Matt Hagen.
As projects don’t move forward in the DCU until there is a finalized script, it remains to be seen when Mangold’s comic book film installment will happen. As of right now, Swamp Thing has no set release date at DC Studios.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2019-00-00
- Network
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DC Universe
- Directors
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Deran Sarafian, Len Wiseman, Carol Banker, Greg Beeman, Michael Goi, E.L. Katz, Toa Fraser
- Writers
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Doris Egan, Rob Fresco, Erin Maher, Kay Reindl, Andrew Preston, Tania Lotia
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Adrienne Barbeau
Dr. Palomar
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Gregory Alan Williams
Mayor Riley