James Mangold is in talks to join James Gunn's DC slate as the director of the Swamp Thing movie. The Indiana Jones 5 director teased his involvement in the Swamp Thing movie on social media before the news officially broke.The Swamp Thing movie was one of the ten projects announced as part of Gunn's DC slate for "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters." While Gunn and DC Studios 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.However, early Wednesday morning, Mangold hinted at his involvement or interest in the Swamp Thing movie by posting a photo of the DC Comics creature on his Twitter account. Hours later, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Mangold was in discussions with Warner Bros. division to helm the Swamp Thing movie. 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 the Swamp Thing movie 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 for Swamp Thing remains 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 that Swamp Thing explores 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 in Swamp Thing, despite its connection to Gunn's overall DC plan, is likely a strong selling point for Mangold.
Of course, Mangold has directed blockbuster projects before, including Logan and the upcoming Indiana Jones 5. Still, Logan concluded Hugh Jackman's Wolverine career and was set far enough into the future that the film's connection to previous X-Men movies was loose. Similarly, Indiana Jones 5 will 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 to Swamp Thing might make it one of the most interesting projects in the DCU's initial line-up.
Swamp Thing is in development at DC Studios.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter