‘Swamp Thing’ is the third original live-action series on the DC Universe streaming service, and will take things in a decidedly different path. For starters, it’s not exactly a superhero story, and it focuses on two protagonists instead of a team. This “gothic horror” series will take advantage of the lack of restrictions on streaming programming and aims for a “hard R” rating.
Crystal Reed stars as scientist Abby Arcane, who returns to her swampy hometown of Houma, Louisianna after a mysterious plague erupts and seems to stem from the nearby bog. Andy Bean portrays Doctor Alec Holland who attempts to assist Abby in her investigation, but presumably, that goes wrong and he transforms into the hulking plant creature known as the Swamp Thing. Stunt performer Derek Mears will portray the Swamp Thing in a practical suit, with Bean providing his voice.
RELATED: A New Teaser Trailer For ‘Swamp Thing’ Has Surfaced Online
Mears discussed the tone of the show with ComicBook.com, saying:
“I heard, without giving anything away, I heard on the production side at one point a story from one of the upper echelon creators, or studio execs saying something like, ‘Wait, you’re going to do what on-screen?’ They go, ‘That’s pretty…that’s really violent.’
“I would say, I’m a fan representing the fans, and going, ‘Yeah, I would tune into this 1000%.’ And the other thing, which I was really excited about, in my opinion, after watching the monitors of unfinished footage, just from the day of shooting is that the style and the tone feels very much like ‘Seven’, in a sense, like really dark and broody, and I’m excited.”
To prime you for ‘Swamp Thing’, DC Universe has released six new pictures that capture the mood of the series, featuring Reed, Bean, and Mears. Check them out below:
‘Swamp Thing’ hails from ‘The Conjuring’ franchise’s producer James Wan and writer Gary Dauberman. The first season consists of ten episodes. The cast also includes Will Patton as villain Avery Sunderland with Kevin Durand as Jason Woodrue, who, in the comics becomes a plant creature himself, the villainous Floronic Man. Virginia Madsen appears as Avery Sunderland’s wife, Maria. Leonardo Nam portrays Abigail’s partner Harlan Edwards. Maria Sten portrays Liz Tremaine, Abigail’s childhood best friend, with Henderson Wade as Matt Cable, Abigail’s high school boyfriend, now a police officer, while Jennifer Beals plays his mother, Sheriff Lucilia Cable. Jeryl Prescott appears as blind fortuneteller Madame Xanadu, while Ian Ziering will depict stunt man Dan Cassidy, a.k.a. DC superhero Blue Devil.
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.
