After plenty of casting news over the past few months, we finally have our lead for DC Universe’s Swamp Thing, and it comes in a pair. Andy Bean, who has just wrapped on It: Chapter 2, has been cast as Alec Holland, the scientist who later becomes the Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing himself will be portrayed by Derek Mears, known for playing Jason Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot. The announcement was made on the official DC Universe Twitter.
Something lurks in the swamp. Announcing Andy Bean as Alec Holland and Derek Mears as Swamp Thing. Welcome to the #DCUNIVERSE. #DCUSWAMPTHING https://t.co/0UtrRdz8Ax pic.twitter.com/qdODjOOzfx
— DC Universe (@TheDCUniverse) November 6, 2018
Alec Holland (Andy Bean) has been described as “a passionate biologist who finds himself in nightmarish circumstances as he realises that the bizarre disease affecting townspeople may have come as a result of his work in the swamp. This discovery that leads him to confront dark swamp forces which swallow him up, only to emerge as the hero known as Swamp Thing.”
Mears’ Swamp Thing will go through an identity crisis of sorts, “struggling to hold onto his human identity. He quickly learns that he must embrace his new mutant form and defend the town against the perils of the swamp from whence he came.”
The two join Crystal Reed, known for her previous role as Sofia Falcone in Fox’s own DC show ‘Gotham’, and her role as Allison Argent in ‘Teen Wolf’, who will star as Abby Arcane in Swamp Thing.
The cast also includes Jeryl Prescott as Madame Xanadu, Maria Sten as Liz Tremayne, Will Patton as Avery Sunderland and Virginia Madsen as Maria Sunderland. More may be announced as we get closer to release.
Swamp Thing will be based on the characters created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. The series “follows Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed) as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana, but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets.”
The show will be produced by James Wan, director of the upcoming Aquaman movie, and will debut on the DC Universe streaming service in 2019. The pilot will be written by Mark Verheiden (Constantine/NBC; Daredevil/Netflix) and Gary Dauberman (It; It: Chapter 2), and directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld; McClane), with all also on board to executive produce alongside Michael Clear. Verheiden will be taking over as showrunner for the first season.
DC Universe’s first show, Titans, is currently airing every Friday on the streaming service, with the Doom Patrol spin-off airing early 2019.
By Jimmy Ioannou
Images provided by DC Comics/Warner Bros; DC Universe/Twitter
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