First things first, there is finally going to be a Swamp Thing project at DC – it is official and final and the news has been put out into the world. It is unrescindable and as such, fans have already begun casting the ballot for who will direct what. Seems like all it took for James Gunn to get a move on things was to be threatened with a congressional hearing.
The DC slate that we’ve all been waiting for now has a name – Chapter 1: God and Monsters – and it is going to be the beginning, the very first point in the history that is being actively curated and created for DC and its cinematic universe. And we have just been placed at the epicenter of the tsunami that is to follow. The fandom, to say the least, has not been disappointed by Gunn at all.
Is Guillermo del Toro Finally Going to Direct Swamp Thing?
With projects ranging from the Diamond trio IPs – a new take, of course, on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – to a Lanterns project, the coming decade has been flooded with James Gunn’s directly commissioned projects and the consequential follow-up projects to the ones that have just been officially revealed by the Gunn & Safran duo. For now, though, it’s Swamp Thing that has taken root in the audience’s fascination for one reason in particular – the implication of maybe finally having Guillermo del Toro over at the House of DC to make his own, as well as the fandom’s dreams, collectively come true.
For the Mexican director, Swamp Thing has been somewhat of a pet project, a passion that his mind has been singularly devoted to since the very first days of his rise in the industry. As twisted and horrific as his beautiful creations can be, none are a match for the DC property and it is here that del Toro can fully unleash his potential and unravel his vision for the creature on screen. The director, renowned for his magnificent take on the genre of horror has forever been the perfect and eager candidate for a Swamp Thing project (on occasions, even pitching the idea himself). And considering the DC property has now found itself being produced as a film, no other director can be acknowledged when del Toro is willing and waiting.
On the contrary, in December 2022, when asked whether he would like to helm a Swamp Thing project, del Toro revealed: “Oh, I don’t know. My love for Swamp Thing, The Demon, knows no bounds, but I don’t know. You don’t get a manicure from a big machine, that’s what I learned – you lose a few fingers.” His primary (and perhaps only) hesitation towards approaching the project and running headlong into the DC headquarters right now might be the leviathan scale at which the franchise is operating at this point. It might make having singular authority over one single IP impossible, considering how connected Chapter 1 needs to be if Gunn intends to solidify and extend the IPs into the future.
Even then, the DC Studios chief has made it clear that
“[DCU has] got to be all these different feels from all these different stories. That’s what makes it so fun. The stories are completely different and each has the individual expression of the writers and the director that are making those projects.”
That serves to resolve del Toro’s hesitation to approach Swamp Thing and put his indelible signature mark over the project, once and for all.
Fans React to James Gunn’s Swamp Thing Announcement
The culmination of every single event up to this point has led James Gunn, Guillermo del Toro, and Swamp Thing to converge at a point where the latter is not only possible but has been sanctioned by the highest authority on the subject and the property, and there is absolutely no reason why del Toro would say no if Gunn were to ask him.
If and when it happens, there’s no better way to approach the matter other than ushering in Guillermo del Toro to the stage, handing him the ropes, and then quietly walking away. Letting the master do his magic uninterrupted might be the saving grace in this new golden era at DC. And the fans are all here for it.
According to the DC slate announcement, the formative saga that will set off the overarching arc and the narrative of the DC cinematic universe will be contained in the caricature-like structure of Chapter 1. Not only are there newer, younger, and weirder (‘cuz Gunn!) projects interspersed in the midst, but also arcs that will define the stories beyond what we have witnessed in these heroes to date. Darker storylines, grimmer plots, wayward kingdoms, and murderous sons will populate the narrative. In a world such as this, Guillermo del Toro’s Swamp Thing might be the perfect fit, considering how Chapter 1 is set to draw to a close with the horror film as its final showstopper.
Source: Twitter
