It was announced today that the James Wan-produced Swamp Thing TV series has halted production after 10 episodes, despite a reported 13 episode run, with the show set to be released in just under two months on May 31st.
This unfortunate news was followed by rumors of the DC streaming service being in danger due to Warner Bros. “evaluating the platform’s future”. These rumors have been proven somewhat false and the early finish to Swamp Thing apparently has nothing to do with the DC Universe being cancelled or put into financial ruin.
In fact, the DC Universe has flourished in its success since the platform’s launch in 2018. Not only has the streaming service recently doubled its comic book library, but also DC and Warner Bros. has several more gambits to come down the line including an animated Harley Quinn series and the live-action Stargirl series.
The service also has plans to become available on Xbox One, widening its audience onto one of the most successful gaming platforms.
Swamp Thing is still set to be released on March 31st but now with its shorter 10-episode run. The “creative difficulties” that Warner Bros. has stated as the reasons for the episode cut have not been explicitly stated, however it remains to be seen if the challenges the show has faced will affect the show to the viewing audience.
Series regular cast member Virginia Madsen has taken to social media to vent her frustrations over the news in a now removed Instagram post stating the following:
“I’m beyond sad. What a terrible decision. We have been cut to the core by those who have never set foot into the Swamp”.
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We’ll continue to update readers on the developing story over the fates of Swamp Thing as it develops.
Swamp Thing stars Derek Mears as the titular monster with Andy Bean portraying his civilian alter-ego Alec Holland.
Other series regulars include Crystal Reed, Maria Stein, Jeryl Prescott, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton, Henderson Wade and Kevin Durand.
The series centers on CDC researcher Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed). When she returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana, in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, she develops a surprising bond with scientist Alec Holland, only to have him tragically taken from her. But as powerful forces descend on Houma, intent on exploiting the swamp’s mysterious properties for their own purposes, Abby will discover that the swamp holds mystical secrets, both horrifying and wondrous…and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all.
Based on the characters of DC Comics, the show is written by “Ash vs. Evil Dead” writer Mark Verheiden and IT co-writer Gary Dauberman.
Promising a grounded and darker tone to follow in the footsteps of Titans, the series is reported to incorporate more practical effects than CGI with the Derek Mears donning a creature suit rather than working with motion capture. Swamp Thing has had ventures in live-action before first with a 1982 movie starring Ray Wise and Dick Durock portraying the lead characters and Durock reprising his role as the monster in a separate television series from 1990-1993.
