‘Absolutely, yeah’: James Mangold’s Swamp Thing gets encouraging update from Peter Safran
There’s fresh movement on James Mangold’s swamp-dwelling horror hero in the DC Universe—just enough to make you wonder what’s finally rising from the muck.
On the Los Angeles red carpet for Clayface, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran said the bayou beast isn’t going anywhere. He told Deadline that Swamp Thing is actively moving forward and that the screenplay is being worked on right now.
“We're working on it, absolutely, yeah, yeah, the script is being written as we speak, but it's something we're excited about.”
The update breaks a long quiet stretch since the movie was first announced in early 2023 as part of James Gunn ’s Gods and Monsters slate. With James Mangold busy on other projects — he’s directing A Complete Unknown and is attached to Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi — fans had started to wonder if the moss had overgrown the project. Safran pointed to scheduling realities with a filmmaker in demand, but made clear the film remains in development.
A darker DC story
Don’t expect a standard capes-and-quips adventure. The plan Mangold is developing leans into Gothic horror — a tragic story about a man trapped in a monstrous body, with an emphasis on mood, psychological dread, and the line between humanity and the creature. Think closer to Frankenstein than a world-saving team-up.
Just as notably, the project is being shaped as a self-contained film. The idea is to let it stand on its own without cameo checklists or heavy setup for other DCU titles, while still living under Gunn and Safran’s larger umbrella.
What we know so far
- Director : James Mangold is attached.
- Status: The script is being written, per Safran.
- DCU placement: Announced within Gunn’s Gods and Monsters slate, but conceived as a standalone Gothic horror story.
- Timeline: No casting or production start has been announced.
- Elsewhere in DC horror: Clayface is set for October 23, 2026 ; early reactions from critics have been enthusiastic, while presales are reportedly trailing Supergirl.
DC hasn’t shared a release date for Swamp Thing yet, and there’s still no casting or start-of-filming date on the books.