Is Swamp Thing finally on its way? James Gunn has set the internet on fire with a recent post featuring the DC Universe’s Avatar of the Green.
Out of all the DC Universe projects, Swamp Thing is perhaps the one fans are expecting to wait the longest for. Despite being announced by James Gunn with the initial slate of projects, the film’s development has been stalled by James Mangold’s busy schedule, with the director recently putting his full focus on developing a Star Wars film exploring the Dawn of the Jedi.
Yet it seems there may finally be some movement for Swamp Thing. James Gunn recently posted a picture of the hero on his Instagram story. This led many to speculate that something may be happening with the character behind-the-scenes. It’s not an outrageous assumption, especially since Gunn has used social media to tease characters years in advance for DC Universe projects.
James Gunn tease Swamp Thing 👀 pic.twitter.com/I9WqO4iZBA
— DC Legacy (@DCLegacy_) February 9, 2026
Is Swamp Thing Coming Soon?
Doing some back of the hand math, James Mangold’s last project, A Complete Unknown, debuted in December 2024. It was also stated earlier this month that his aforementioned Star Wars film is actually “on hold” despite having a completed script (via Deadline). Even assuming it took Mangold 8 months to write that script (likely during and after A Complete Unknown‘s post-production), it’s certainly possible that he recently delivered a first draft of the Swamp Thing script to James Gunn for the DC Universe.
Then again, James Mangold also recently signed an overall deal with Paramount. While James Gunn has stated this doesn’t completely disqualify Swamp Thing from happening, it means Mangold would likely have to do at least one film for them before joining the DC Universe. Which, even if he’s not writing the script, would likely tie up development on Swamp Thing for at least another 2 years.
Swamp Thing is currently in development at DC Studios. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe!
