Virginia Madsen Joins DC Universe's SWAMP THING Series
Virginia Madsen (Sideways) is set to take on a key role in DC Universe’s upcoming Swamp Thing series. She will play a character named Maria Sunderland.
Madsen joins the previously cast Crystal Reed (Gotham) as Abby and Maria Sten (Straight Outta Compton, Channel Zero) as her friend Liz Tremayne.
Swamp Thing will follow "CDC researcher Abby Arcane, who returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana, in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus. She develops a surprising bond with scientist Alec Holland, only to have him tragically taken from her. But as powerful forces descend on Houma, intent on exploiting the swamp’s mysterious properties for their own purposes, Abby will discover that the swamp holds mystical secrets, and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all."
Maria Sunderland, “traded in her privileged upbringing for the swamps of Marais when she married local business magnate Avery Sunderland (not yet cast), but Avery’s life-time obsession with the swamp has driven a wedge between him and Maria. Her poised existence is shaken further when the return of Abby Arcane reawakens a deep grief over the loss of Maria’s daughter, Shawna, drawing her into the dark supernatural mysteries emerging from the swamp.”
James Wan is bringing Swamp Thing to the streaming service under his Atomic Monster banner. The series will be written by Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman. Swamp Thing is scheduled for release in 2019 on DC Universe and the pilot episode is being directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld).
Dauberman previously explained that the DC Universe streaming service allows a lot of creative freedom, and that they are planning to have some hard R content in Swamp Thing. He also says that the series will be inspired by Alan Moore's run on the comic:
"We always set out to make Swamp Thing as hard R as we could and go graphic with the violence, with the adult themes and make it as scary as possible. Because we’re doing it through the DC streaming service, they really pushed us, although they didn’t have to push hard, for us to go as extreme as we could. We really took our inspiration from the Alan Moore run in Swamp Thing, this landmark I think run. Fans of that series will know it gets pretty weird and extreme and scary. We really wanted to live up to that standard that Moore set up back in the ‘80s."
Out of all the series being produced for DC Universe, Swamp Thing is the one I’m most excited for. I really hope that it turns out great!