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SYFY WIRE Swamp Thing

James Wan urges fans to watch the remaining Swamp Thing episodes after cancellation

By Josh Weiss
Swamp Thing

DC fans got quite a shock last week when it was announced that the company's live-action Swamp Thing series would not be picked up for a second season. This news came as even more of a bombshell based on the facts that reviews were positive and that show's first episode had only premiered a few days prior to cancellation.

Theories as to why it happened range from expensive budgeting issues to a simple North Carolina tax error. Whatever the reason, though, producer James Wan (The ConjuringAquaman) doesn't want DC Universe subscribers to write the show off so quickly. Taking to Instagram, the filmmaker wrote the following:

"Don’t really know or understand why #Swampthing was canceled, but I can tell you this — all the cast and crew, and producing/writing team poured their hearts into this. Really proud of everyone’s hard work. Go watch episode 2, and immortalize these 10 episodes. Swampy deserves it."

After production shut down in May so that Season 1 could shave off three episodes, co-showrunner Mark Verheiden assured the public that everything was A-OK behind the scenes. When talk turned to Wan's influence, he said:

"James was very, very involved in designing Swamp Thing. Definitely intimately involved with defining the Swamp Thing suit. We went with a place called FracturedFX, which is run by Justin Raleigh, who’s done practical effects for James’ other films. They knocked it out of the park. They just created an amazing suit for Derek to wear. We all worked on it, but James’ vision of it was what we started with."

Wholly embracing the horror genre, Swamp Thing is based on the character created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson in the 1970s. Nevertheless, it is Alan Moore's '80s-era run on the character that remains most well-known and beloved among comic book readers.

Also showrun by Gary Dauberman (Annabelle Comes Home), Swamp Thing tells the story of Alec Holland (Andy Bean), who, after being killed, turns into the eponymous biological monster (played by Derek Mears). When an unsavory party begins dumping chemicals in the swamp of a nearby town (chemicals that are making people sick), nature begins to fight back. A native of the town, CDC doctor Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed), arrives home to look into what's making her fellow citizens fall ill.

Kevin Durand, Virginia Madsen, Maria Sten, Jeryl Prescott, Will Patton, Leonardo Nam, Jennifer Beals, and Ian Ziering all co-star.

The first two episodes of Swamp Thing—"Pilot" and "Worlds Apart"—are now streaming on the DC Universe streaming service.

Have you watched the show yet? Are you planning to watch it? Sound off in the comments below!