Swamp Thing: Terrifying First Teaser For DC Universe Series Unveiled
Swamp Thing lives!
DC Universe dropped a terrifying first teaser for Swamp Thing, the upcoming live-action series scheduled for release on the new streaming platform, on Wednesday, confirming that the bog monster has surfaced... and just might scare the daylights out of you.
The footage opens on a group of men drifting along — what else? — a swamp. It's dark and foggy out, so the dudes don't see strange sentient vines squirm their way until it's too late. Flash to a young girl splayed out on a classroom floor, her hair damp and her nose bleeding, and then to what can only be interpreted as a murder scene in broad daylight. The teaser again shows us the vines, this time wrapping around a corpse and bringing it to life while Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed) works away in a lab, none the wiser. Another shot sees the vines snatch the ankle of a woman and drag her across the floor as she screams in horror.
Obviously, something spooky is going on in the town of Houma, Louisiana — and Abby is trying to get to the bottom of it. Based on the half-humanoid, half-elemental DC Comics character created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing centers around Abby and her investigation into "what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets." She and the denizens of Houma soon bear witness to "unexplainable and chilling horrors" emerging from the depths of the marsh, and quickly realize that everyone is in grave danger.
The series' synopsis further details, "When she 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, both horrifying and wondrous — and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all."
Swamp Thing also stars Andy Bean as Alec Holland, who morphs into Swamp Thing; Maria Sten as newspaper reporter Liz Tremayne; Jeryl Prescott as blind fortune teller Madame Xanadu; Virginia Madsen as Maria Sunderland, who is drawn to the enigmas of the swamp as she grieves for her deceased daughter; and Will Patton as businessman Avery Sunderland, who aims to harness the swamp's power for his own purposes. Rounding out the cast are Henderson Wade as lawman Matt Cable and Kevin Durand as biogeneticist Jason Woodrue.
Judging by this first teaser, it appears that Swamp Thing is doing its own thing and seeking to prove itself as a bonafide horror show. Swamp Thing certainly has the creative backing to make that happen: It: Chapter One co-writer Gary Dauberman and Ash vs. Evil Dead scribe Mark Verheiden wrote the series, while The Conjuring film franchise mastermind James Wan executive-produces. And with Total Recall and Live Free or Die Hard filmmaker Len Wiseman on board as director, Swamp Thing will feature no shortage of high-intensity action.
It's a little surprising and a lot relieving that DC Universe even released this teaser for Swamp Thing. A little over a week prior to the footage drop, it was reported that production on the series had been shut down unexpectedly. Sources close to The Hollywood Reporter detailed that shooting was cut short and producers at Warner Bros. Television slashed Swamp Thing's planned 13-episode order down to 10 installments. This is said to have been the result of "creative differences" between DC Universe, Warner Bros. TV, and the streaming platform's parent company WarnerMedia. What exactly those disputes entailed remains unknown, but they had to have been quite heated to cause the company to knock three episodes off Swamp Thing's first season. Thankfully, it looks like the project is trucking along as if nothing ever happened — and that's a heck of a good sign.
All things accounted for, the first teaser for Swamp Thing shows immense promise. It looks big-time scary, seems to be of high quality, and should get people excited for the show to premiere on DC Universe on May 31.