James Gunn’s SWAMP THING Art Post Has Fans Wondering If the DCU Movie Is Back on Track
James Gunn recently shared some very specific Swamp Thing artwork, and the timing has people wondering if the long-gestating DCU project might finally be inching ahead. It could be nothing, or it could be Gunn doing what Gunn does best, stirring the pot and letting fandom do the rest.
The image Gunn shared to his Instagram Stories was the cover of the first volume of Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing. Gunn posts DC-related art all the time, but this one stood out.
It popped up right after the new Supergirl TV spot and poster dropped, which made the Swamp Thing post feel strategically shared. Fans immediately started connecting dots, even if those dots are still pretty far apart.
The Swamp Thing movie was announced as part of the DCU’s initial slate, with James Mangold attached to direct. Mangold, known for Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, has been linked to the project for a while now.
Late last year, James Gunn confirmed that Mangold had not yet turned in a script. Not long after that, Mangold signed an overall deal with Paramount Pictures to develop, direct, and produce feature films for the studio, which is now under Skydance.
That news sparked immediate concern that Swamp Thing might be slipping further into limbo. However, was later reported that Mangold “remains attached and available to develop all his other projects.”
Gunn was eventually asked if Mangold’s Paramount deal meant the DCU project was dead. His response was about as clear as it gets.
“No, no, it doesn’t. No,” Gunn said. “Yeah, I mean, yeah, totally. Absolutely. Yeah. We’ve talked to him. He’s still invested. So we’ll see. Some things take a long time. We’ll see what happens.”
Mangold has also spoken openly in the past about why Swamp Thing grabbed his attention in the first place, and it had everything to do with Gunn stepping into his new role at DC.
“As soon as I heard James Gunn was taking over DC, I just saw it as an opportunity to throw my hat down.”
His vision for the character leans heavily into classic Gothic horror, with Frankenstein serving as a key inspiration. While Gunn has previously said the movie will “investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing” and lean into a “much more horrific” tone, Mangold has made it clear he isn’t chasing an R-rating or a sprawling franchise setup.
“While I'm sure DC views Swamp Thing as a franchise, I would be viewing it as a very simple, clean, Gothic horror movie about this man/monster,” Mangold explained. “Just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone.”
He later expanded on why bouncing between genres is such a big part of his creative drive.
“I've been afforded the chance [to work] in different genres, because people will finance it. If I was just a horror director and people only wanted to pay for my horror movies, that would be a different problem,” Mangold said.
“But part of the joy is that you learn a lot when you are changing genres or the vernacular in some of the way you communicate in your art.”
So does Gunn sharing Swamp Thing artwork mean cameras are about to roll? Probably not yet. But it does suggest the project is still alive, still on Gunn’s mind, and still something DC wants to crack.
