Following a couple of months of speculation, we’ve now got some official news on Swamp Thing’s titular Elemental.
It’s been largely known, but not made official, that Derek Mears was to play Swamp Thing in the DC Universe-exclusive show, and now Warner Brothers has finally given official confirmation on Mears’ involvement in the series. While the ever-charming Mears – himself a huge fanboy of all things horror and genre – landed on the radar of many as Jason Voorhees in 2009’s Friday the 13th remake, he’s also impressed in the likes of The Hills Have Eyes II, Men in Black II, Predators, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Dead Snow 2, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash, and will soon be soon in Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel.
Not only is Mears now ‘official’ as Swamp Thing, but Warners has also announced that Andy Bean will be playing Alec Holland, the human version of the titular creature. Bean is likely best known to genre fans for Power and Here and Now, and he’ll also been seen as the adult Stanley Uris in next year’s IT: Chapter Two.
The early word on Swamp Thing reads:
The drama follows what happens when CDC researcher Abby Arcane returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus. There, 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, both horrifying and wondrous – and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all.
As a character, Swamp Thing began life back in 1971 and has appeared in a whole host of different mediums over the decades. Wes Craven would helm 1982’s Swamp Thing movie, with a sequel following in 1989. On the small screen, a three-season USA Network show ran during the early ‘90s, and there was similarly a far-too-short-lived animated series during those years.
At this stage, Swamp Thing is set for a to-be-confirmed 2019 premiere, with Mark Veriheiden and Gary Dauberman on showrunner duties.
