Work is in full swing on the DC Universe, which will usher in a new era of classic comic book characters from DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran. One of these upcoming films, Swamp Thing, will be directed by James Mangold. However, in a slate of new comments, the director has said that he views the film not as a franchise tentpole, but as a standalone project.
In an interview with Variety, Mangold shed some more light on Swamp Thing, which is set to be an installment in the first chapter of the DCU, Gods and Monsters. Mangold spoke about his idea for the film, saying, “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.” The director also said that he had been “toying for years with the idea of making a kind of Frankenstein movie.” After Gunn and Safran took control of DC Studios, Mangold “put in a friendly call” to suggest that he helm Swamp Thing, he told Variety. “Just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone,” Mangold added.
In the comics, the Swamp Thing is a human/plant monster that appears mostly as a blob of organic matter. Though he debuted in the DC comics in the 1970s, Swamp Thing didn’t gain widespread recognition – or a mass following – until the 1980s. Mangold‘s enthusiasm for directing the project isn’t entirely surprising given that rumors of him being attached to a Swamp Thing adaptation have been swirling for a while. While plot details about Swamp Thing remain thin, Gunn said during the Gods and Monsters announcement that the film will be a “very dark horror story” that’s “tonally outside of the rest of the DCU.” So it seems that the creative minds of Swamp Thing are mostly on the same page when it comes to the direction of the film.
Mangold is Also Writing the Script for Swamp Thing
In addition to directing, Mangold is also penning the script for Swamp Thing. However, this is not the only project on his platter, as Mangold will also be writing and directing a Star Wars feature for Lucasfilm that will focus on the dawn of the Jedi. Collider asked Mangold at this year’s Star Wars Celebration which he was working on first, to which he replied:
“The truth is, I’m writing both right now, and who knows what’s going to happen and what’s gonna blossom first or second? So there’s your thing, I’m acknowledging I’m doing ‘Swamp Thing,’ there’s your scoop. It’s not a rumor, it’s happening. I put it online. It can all happen, it just takes time.”
So while it is unclear which project Mangold will tackle first, it seems that he is placing equal weight onto both films. This is unsurprising given his obvious propensity for both IPs, and he is also busy promoting another tentpole film – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which Mangold directed as the last Indy outing for Harrison Ford.
No release window for Swamp Thing has been announced.
via Collider