James Mangold views Swamp Thing as a standalone film

Shutterstock - James Mangold - Debby Wong
Shutterstock - James Mangold - Debby Wong

It seems if you’re hoping for a series of Swamp Thing movies, James Mangold may have a bit of bad news for you.

Mangold is currently on the promotional circuit for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the topic of his upcoming Swamp Thing film has been raised.

Speaking with Variety, the director said of the upcoming film, “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.” He went on to add that he has been “toying for years with the idea of making a kind of Frankenstein movie.” Once James Gunn and Peter Safran were named as the co-chairs of DC Studios in the fall of 2022, Mangold “put in a friendly call” to see about the possibility of directing a Swamp Thing film. “Just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone,” he said.

While he may view the film as its own project, we’re sure that DC Studios will have different plans as time goes on.

No release date has been announced for Swamp Thing as of yet, but it will more than likely be some time. Superman: Legacy is currently dated for July 11, 2025, and is the first theatrical film under the new plan. And Mangold already has a smaller-scale Bob Dylan biopic in the works, A Complete Unknown. He is also in development on a standalone Star Wars film set in the far past that would deal with the origins of the Jedi.

IMAGE SOURCE: Shutterstock – James Mangold – Debby Wong