DC Universe’s 2019 Swamp Thing show could have been incredible. Sadly, the party ended practically instantly as it was cancelled immediately after the first episode aired. This fatal blow came on top of the series already having had its 13-episode order reduced to 10. Warner Bros. claimed “creative differences” was the reason, but fans theorized the network hadn’t fully realized how much it’d cost.
The CW subsequently purchased and aired Swamp Thing, with the character going to make a very brief cameo appearance in its Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, with the voiceover referencing the show’s problems by saying “civilizations rose…and fell”.
However, you can’t keep a plant elemental down. New DCU head James Gunn confirmed that a Swamp Thing movie is in pre-production, but it’ll be a full reboot and will have no connection to the show. With that in mind, star Virginia Madsen – who played Maria Sunderland – unsurprisingly admitted to ComicBook that she doesn’t think she’ll be back.
“I would doubt it. I think that kind of director is going to make it his own. If anything, I wish that they would bring Derek into the movie because he had so much heart. Nobody can kill Swamp Thing. That’s why they’re making it into a movie with James Gunn. It’s going to be awesome.”
It also seems that nobody on the CW’s Swamp Thing thought the axe would fall so soon:
“Can you imagine how bummed out I was? I was ready to buy a house in Wilmington [where the show filmed]. And everyone was so close, because we were setting the stage for a long run. We got to lean on each other and became a family in that kind of situation when you’re in that kind of [project]. Everyone was ready and it was kind of like the proverbial rug being swept out from underneath you and I really felt it didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense at all. There was no explaining it. I just had this sort of hang my head and go home and eat a lot of comfort foods for a few months … but yes, it was a great disappointment.”
This character deserves more love, and we’re hopeful the new DCU movie can capture what makes him so special. Word has it Logan director James Mangold is in early talks to direct Swamp Thing and we can’t wait to see what he does with the material.
