Aquaman isn’t the only thing that director James Wan has been working on for the DC Comics Extended Universe. This time last year, he announced that he was developing, and would executive produce, a live-action Swamp Things series for the Marvel rival’s streaming service, DC Universe, which currently houses other live-action properties like Titans and Doom Patrol. On Wednesday, the outlet released its official first look at the titular creature — all while denying reports of significant business troubles behind the scenes.
The reveal itself is quite short. Aside from a slow zoom onto an increasingly bubbly patch of murky water, all it features is Swamp Thing’s slow rise from the muck — complete with the creature’s characteristic nose ridgeline and glowing red eyes. Even so, it’s one hell of a sight to behold, and combined with the darker lightening and horror-esque mood music, it’s abundantly clear that Wan and company are going for more horror than not with Swamp Thing.
Interestingly, the first look dropped — along with cast member Ian Ziering’s Instagram post — the same day as several news reports about apparent onset drama began making the rounds. According to The Hollywood Reporter, crew members told local news that the show’s production had been abruptly cut from 13 to 10 episodes due to “creative differences,” some of which stemmed from DC Universe’s supposedly dwindling business.
However, sources affiliated with the production later told /Film that DC Universe was doing just fine, and that Swamp Thing‘s having been trimmed down from 13 to 10 episodes had nothing to do with any larger behind-the-scenes happenings. (After all, other shows like Stargirl and Harley Quinn are also in production.) That being said, /Film’s report does lend more weight to stories of the Swamp Thing production’s “bumps and swerves.”
(Via The Hollywood Reporter and /Film)