Sorry, Justice League Dark fans, the DCU's upcoming Swamp Thing movie won't be connected to the wider franchise. Well, if director James Mangold can help it, anyway...
In a new interview with MovieWeb, the filmmaker, whose previous works include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Logan, teased what to expect from his adaptation, describing it as a "simple, clean Gothic horror about this man/monster."
"With other kinds of IP, it gets to a religious level. While I'm sure DC views Swamp Thing as a franchise," Mangold continued. "[I'm] just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone. I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it's almost immovable and you can't please anybody."
Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 back in July 1971. It's not been made clear which version of the character Mangold will be bringing to life but in the comics, the antihero has had four different alter-egos: Alexander Olsen, Alec Holland, Tefé Holland, and Levi Kamei. It's most likely that the film will center on Alec, though, given that he's the most notable – and was also the protagonist of DC's TV show that ran for one season in 2019.
In the source material, Alec is introduced as a Louisiana-based scientist who invents a formula that promises to solve the world's food shortage problems with his wife Linda. But after his rivals plant a bomb in his laboratory and he gets caught in the explosion, Alec runs into a nearby swamp. The formula, which is drenched all over his body, then affects the plant in the swamp, imbuing it with Alec's consciousness and transforming him into an anthropomorphic mound of mossy matter.
His best-known enemies include Floronic Man, General Sunderland, the Un-Men, and Anton Arcane, while he goes on to become the partner of John Constantine – a fact that had some fans hoping Swamp Thing's movie would usher the occultist into the DCU.
"I've learned a lot, whether it's making an action film, or whether it's making a Western and bringing those energies to a kind of superhero film or Marvel film," Mangold added. "You not only learn things making one genre, but then you learn how to carry over lessons from that genre into another one that you might not expect."
For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows heading our way.
