‘Swamp Thing’ Movie Update: DC Boss Confirms the Script Is Being Written, but a Quick Return to the Bayou Is Unlikely

DC Studios has made no secret of its appetite for horror, and few characters fit that mood better than the muck-covered guardian of the Green. Even so, the ‘Swamp Thing‘ movie has been so quiet that many fans had started to wonder whether it was still alive.

The film was unveiled in January 2023 as part of the DCU’s first chapter, ‘Gods and Monsters’, and was described as a story investigating the dark origins of the character. James Mangold soon confirmed that he was both writing and directing, and he later described his vision as a simple, clean gothic horror movie about a man and a monster, even comparing it to a Frankenstein story. He also stressed that it would be a standalone project rather than a franchise starter.

Now, the first real update in over a year has arrived. Speaking to Deadline at the ‘Clayface’ premiere, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran confirmed the film is still moving forward. “We’re working on it, absolutely,” he said, adding that the script is being written as we speak. “All these things take time, particularly when you have a filmmaker already involved; you got to wait for their window as well.”

Peter Safran confirms the James Mangold ‘Swamp Thing’ film is still a go at DC Studios: “We’re working on it… The script is being written as we speak” https://t.co/tlJzxv9DSi

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) October 14, 2026

The delay comes down to Mangold’s busy calendar. In September 2025, the ‘Logan’ director signed a big overall deal with Paramount, where his first project is ‘High Side’, a MotoGP movie reuniting him with Timothée Chalamet. He also has a Star Wars project on his plate, which has kept him busy.

This isn’t the first time the schedule has been the issue. When Mangold was working on ‘A Complete Unknown’, the ‘Swamp Thing’ project appeared to be on hold, and James Gunn said at the time that they only talked about it occasionally. Gunn later revealed that Mangold had not yet turned in a script because of his packed filming schedule.

Plot details remain under wraps, but the tone is clear. Gunn has said the film will have the darkest tone of any project in the DCU’s first chapter, while still allowing Swamp Thing to interact with other heroes in future stories. That balance of a gothic horror story with a shared universe is exactly what makes the project so intriguing.

The character has a long screen history. Wes Craven directed the original 1982 film starring Dick Durock, followed by a 1989 sequel, ‘The Return of Swamp Thing’. More recently, Derek Mears played the creature in a short-lived 2019 series on the DC Universe streaming service, which was well received despite its brief run.

The project also sits inside a changing corporate landscape. Deadline’s rundown of the Warner Bros. film slate that Skydance’s new motion picture bosses inherit places ‘Swamp Thing’ in early development, alongside the DC Bane and Deathstroke movie, ‘The Brave and the Bold’, a live-action ‘Teen Titans’ movie and a ‘Wonder Woman’ reboot. Early development means no cast and no release date, and in this case a script still being written.

Gunn and Safran remain DC Studios co-chairmen, with contracts reported to run through April 2027, and they now report to David Ellison. That adds another layer of uncertainty to long-gestating projects like this one.

The timing of Safran’s comments is no accident. ‘Clayface’ arrives in theaters October 23 as the first body horror entry in the DCU, and its early reactions have praised its grisly approach. If audiences embrace that darker tone, ‘Swamp Thing’ could become the next DC movie to benefit from the studio’s growing appetite for horror.

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