Actor/stuntman Derek Mears appears to have landed the role of ‘Swamp Thing’ on the DC Universe live action series. To be clear, Mears will only be playing the hulking swamp monster, not his human alter ego, Alec Holland. This is similar to the approach DC Universe is taking with the character Robot Man in ‘Doom Patrol’. Riley Shanahan will portray Robot Man in person, with a practical suit, while Brendan Fraser will provide his voice, and appear in the flesh in flashbacks.
Mears will also wear a practical suit to portray the ‘Swamp Thing’, but it’s possible he won’t supply the voice, as whoever is cast to play the human Alec Holland will likely provide that.
Mears appeared as Jason Voorhees in the 2009 remake of ‘Friday the 13th’ and as a Predator in ‘Predators’. He is usually utilized for his 6’5″ frame in projects such as ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Grimm’, ‘Midnight, Texas’, ‘The Orville’, ‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters ‘, ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘Sons of Anarchy’, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, ‘True Blood’, and ‘Twin Peaks’. He also has a role in the upcoming ‘Alita: Battle Angel’.
Mears joins Crystal Reed, ‘Swamp Thing”s female lead, as Abby Arcane and Maria Sten as Abby’s childhood best friend, Liz Tremayne. In the series, CDC agent Abby Arcane has to return to her hometown of Houma, Louisiana after a mysterious epidemic breaks out. While there, Abby connects with scientist Alec Holland, which is complicated by the presence of her high school boyfriend Matthew Cable, who happens to be Houma’s sheriff.
The show is based on the DC/Vertigo comic book, which was aimed at adult readers. Because of that, the TV series is aiming for a hard R-rating.
Beyond ‘Titans’ and ‘Young Justice’, DC Universe has not yet announced specific release dates for its other originals, but ‘Swamp Thing’ is expected to premiere sometime next year.
DC Universe is available to pre-order before it launches on September 15th. The price is $74.99/year or $7.99/month.
Source: CBM
