You know what I didn’t even know I really wanted until it arrived in my inbox? A Swamp Thing live-action TV series that boasts James Wan (The Conjuring, Aquaman…oh, you know who he is) as one of its executive producers. And yes, we’re getting a Swamp Thing TV series on the DC Universe streaming service.
This is far from Swamp Thing’s first foray into live-action. Wes Craven’s 1982 Swamp Thing movie is a legit cult classic, although its sequel, Return of the Swamp Thing, is less so. There was a syndicated TV series that starred big screen Swampy Dick Durock that ran for three seasons. It’s better than you’ve heard. The short-lived animated series, on the other hand, is not. Something tells me that whatever DC Universe is cooking up will be better…but I REALLY hope they go with the “man in suit” approach.
James Wan, Mark Verheiden, Gary Dauberman, and Michael Clear are executive producers, with Rob Hackett (also of Wan’s Atomic Monster) serving as co-producer. Verheiden and Dauberman are writing.
Advertisement
Swamp Thing Trailer
If you’re looking for the weird, psychedelic horror romance vibes, this Swamp Thing teaser should do the trick…
But if you were hoping DC would approach Swamp Thing as a horror series, you may be in luck:
Despite creative difficulties which forced the show to shorten its episode count from 13 episodes to 10 (we have more details on that right here), DC Universe revealed the first Swamp Thing teaser trailer, complete with our first look at ol’ Swampy himself:
Swamp Thing TV Series Release Date
Swamp Thing will arrive on the DC Universe streaming service on May 31, 2019.
Swamp Thing Cast
The title character of Swamp Thing will be played by two actors.
Andy Bean has been cast as Alec Holland, reports TV Line. The character of Holland is, of course, the scientist who is destined to experience a serious transformation into the show’s eponymous plant man himself. – Bean arrives on the series after TV runs on – most recently – HBO’s Here and Now and, before that, Starz’s Power, as well as a movie appearance in 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight. He’ll next be seen as one of the main cast members of the September 2019-scheduled It: Chapter Two as the adult version of Stanley Uris.
However, in a dynamic that’s evocative of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno onscreen Incredible Hulk dual role, Bean will share the role with another actor, who’s set to play the transformed version of his character.
Derek Mears will play the Swamp Thing himself. Mears, who’s been fielding the roles of giant, stoic stalkers for a long time, recently fielded TV runs on The CW’s The Flash, ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, Fox’s The Orville, NBC’s Midnight, Texas and a lengthier run on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow as big bad Moloch. Moreover, amongst several incognito roles in high-profile films, he donned the classic hockey mask as Jason Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot.
While the specifics of the Swamp Thing dual dynamic were not revealed, one might presume that Bean will provide the voice and Mears will be the man under the makeup and prosthetics.
Crystal Reed will play Abby Arcane. As the official announcement describes the character:
“Smart and caring, CDC Doctor Abby Arcane’s strong sense of empathy puts her at the center of a horrific life-threatening epidemic in her hometown, where she faces emotional demons from her past… while a chance meeting with scientist Alec Holland takes her into a world of horror and the supernatural, and of the elemental creature known as Swamp Thing.”
Abby Arcane first appeared in Swamp Thing # 3, dated March 1973. Besides her medical training and innate psychic powers, Abby is also known for inter-familial conflicts, since she’s the niece of Anton Arcane, Swamp Thing’s traditional archnemesis. Anton, an elderly mad scientist – formerly in service to the Nazi Party – is obsessed with immortality, which leads him to some demented experiments. The Abby character manifested in the Swamp Thing movie series in the notoriously campy 1989 sequel, The Return of the Swamp Thing, played by Heather Locklear. She was later played by Kari Wuhrer on USA Network’s 1990-1993 Swamp Thing TV series.
Here’s your first look at our Dr. Alec Holland and Abby Arcane…
Interestingly, the Swamp Thing co-starring role will see Crystal Reed make a DC-to-DC transition, since she just wrapped a run as Sofia Falcone on Fox’s Gotham, a role that started as a romantic interest to Ben McKenzie’s Jim Gordon that quickly devolved into her becoming a ruthless antagonist. She came into that role off her 2011-2016 run on MTV’s Teen Wolf.
Kevin Durand has joined the Swamp Thing cast to play a signature comic book villain (via Deadline). He will field the role of Jason Woodrue, better known in the annals of DC’s rogues gallery as the Floronic Man and, in the New 52 universe, as the Seeder. As the role’s official description teases:
“Prickly genius Jason Woodrue is a biogeneticist without equal and he knows it. Brought in to study the unique properties of a small-town Louisiana swamp, Woodrue becomes fixated on unlocking the potential contained within — leading to tragic and monstrous consequences.”
After serving as an antagonist for heroes such as The Flash, Green Lantern and The Atom, the origin story of Floronic Man, a.k.a. Floro, has varied over the years. He was initially depicted as an evil human-like interdimensional exile – with the ability to control plants – who transformed himself into a bark-skinned plant person. However, a classic rivalry would kick off when Woodrue was hired by Avery Sunderland (played by Will Patton on the show,) to discover how Alec Holland transformed into Swamp Thing. – Interestingly, the Woodrue character previously appeared onscreen – as a human scientist – as Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy’s boss in the 1997 movie, Batman & Robin, played by John Glover.
OG Swamp Thing actor Adrienne Barbeau (she appeared in the 1982 film, written and directed by Wes Craven) will return to the world in the DC Universe live-action series. Barbeau made the announcement via Twitter…
It’s unclear, at this point, who Barbeau might be playing. In the 1982 film, she played Alice Cable, a gender-swapped version of the comic book’s Matt Cable character who also served as Swamp Thing’s love interest, e.g. the comic book character Abby Arcane.
Henderson Wade (Riverdale, Extant) is lawman Matt Cable, reports Deadline. The character – a longtime mainstay of the Swamp Thing DC comic book series – was initially depicted as a federal agent who was tasked with protecting a threatened Alec Holland, later taking it upon himself to investigate Holland’s disappearance; a crime for which he (ironically) blamed the Swamp Thing. A gender-swapped version of the character manifested in the 1982 Swamp Thing movie as Alice Cable, played by Adrienne Barbeau.
Ian Ziering is Dan Cassidy, the man better known to comic book fans as Blue Devil. We have more details on him right here.
Will Patton will play Avery Sunderland, as reported by Deadline. The character – who first appeared in DC’s Swamp Thing Vol. 2 #26, dated October 1982 – is the president of the Sunderland Corporation, whose scientific research on a bio-restorative formula leads to the accident that turns Alec Holland into Swamp Thing. However, Sunderland’s façade as a local Louisiana philanthropist contrasts with the reality that he’s a ruthless profiteer that will go to any length to achieve his goals. – Patton, a veteran actor of Silkwood, The Postman and Armageddon, recently appeared in films such as the box-office-dominating Halloween sequel/reboot, comedy An Actor Prepares and horror film Boarding School, as well as TV runs on Fox’s Shots Fired and TNT’s Falling Skies.
Jennifer Beals will field a guest recurring role as Sheriff Lucilia Cable, a “tough as nails and pragmatic” head of the local law enforcement who’s fiercely devoted to her son, Matt. However, her ability to defend the denizens of Marais will be tested in unprecedented manner when the town becomes besieged by strange forces.
Maria Sten will play Liz Tremayne, a reporter for the local paper and bartender at her father’s roadhouse who’s a close childhood friend of Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed). She’s described (via Deadline,) as having a “no-nonsense attitude” that contrasts with “deep compassion for her friends and family.” Her journalistic endeavors center on exposing a threat to her hometown.
Leonardo Nam, reports Deadline, will recur as Harlan Edwards, described as “a gay CDC specialist who is Abby [Arcane]’s (Crystal Reed) second-in-command.”
Fans of HBO’s Westworld know Nam as embattled Delos lab tech Lutz, who, alongside coworker Sylvester (Ptolemy Slocum), experienced a seasons-spanning abduction at hands of rogue host Maeve (Thandie Newton) and her cohorts; an experience that led to a bit of Stockholm syndrome. The actor has also banked notable appearance on The CW’s The Flash, Amazon’s Betas and film appearances in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Swamp Thing TV Series Story
Here’s the official synopsis:
“When CDC researcher Abby Arcane 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.”
So, not only does this sound great, it sounds like the kind of show that could open the door to all manner of other weird and supernatural corners of the DC Universe. Drop me off at the House of Secrets. Let Matt Ryan cameo as John Constantine (hell, Constantine first appeared in a Swamp Thing comic). Introduce Dream and the rest of The Endless. I don’t care. Do it all. I’m here for it.
Swamp Thing joins what is becoming an impressive lineup of original programming on the newly named streaming service, DC Universe. Other shows include Titans, the long awaited Young Justice: Outsiders, Superman prequel Metropolis, the JSA-centric Stargirl, and a Harley Quinn animated series.
Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.