James Mangold is in talks to join James Gunn’s DC slate as the director of theSwamp Thingmovie. TheIndiana Jones 5director teased his involvement in theSwamp Thingmovie on social media before the news officially broke.TheSwamp Thingmovie was one of the tenprojects announced as part of Gunn’s DC slatefor “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.” While Gunn andDCStudios co-CEO Peter Safran unveiled the five shows and five feature films in this initial DCU phase, filmmakers and writers were not named to these projects, aside from the ones Gunn wrote.RELATED:James Gunn Shares What He Thinks Of The SnyderVerseHowever, early Wednesday morning, Mangold hinted at his involvement or interest in theSwamp Thingmovie by posting a photo of the DC Comics creature on his Twitter account. Hours later,The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed Mangold was in discussions with Warner Bros. division to helm theSwamp Thingmovie. According to THR sources, Mangold was not mentioned during the DC slate presentation because talks are still in the early stages. It is unclear if Mangold will also write theSwamp Thingmovie or only direct it, though it might be worth noting that he often does both on his projects.
Whether these discussions lead to Mangold sitting in the director’s chair forSwamp Thingremains to be seen, but Gunn retweeted the filmmaker’s Twitter post, so the conversations are likely going well. During the DC Studios presentation, Gunn and Safran noted thatSwamp Thingexplores the “dark origins” of the character. They also used Swamp Thing as an example of how the DCU project will have different tones, despite being connected, allowing the respective filmmakers to bring their own style to each film or TV show.
Mangold had previously expressed weariness toward films that try to set up the next installment in the franchise. So, the promise of creative freedom inSwamp Thing, despite its connection toGunn’s overall DC plan, is likely a strong selling point for Mangold.
Of course, Mangold has directed blockbuster projects before, includingLoganandthe upcomingIndiana Jones 5. Still,Loganconcluded Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine career and was set far enough into the future that the film’s connection to previousX-Menmovies was loose. Similarly,Indiana Jones 5will be Harrison Ford’s final adventure as the character, so Mangold probably doesn’t have to worry about Indy’s next journey. Either way, Mangold has proven his skills as a writer and director, so his attachment toSwamp Thingmight make it one of the most interesting projects in the DCU’s initial line-up.
Swamp Thingis in development at DC Studios.
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