James Wan doesn’t know or understand why Swamp Thing was cancelled

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

In the midst of production, the new Swamp Thing TV show had the episode count of its first season cut down from 13 to 10. That seemed to be a bad sign, but everyone involved crossed their fingers and rolled with it. The pilot episode, directed by Len Wiseman, made its premiere on the DC Universe streaming service on May 31st. On June 6th, it was revealed that DC Universe had already decided to cancel the series.

This early cancellation was a shock, and it has left people trying to find an answer for why Swamp Thing got such a raw deal. There was talk of a tax break mix-up in the state of North Carolina, where the 10 episodes of the show had been filmed, being the reason; DC Universe had taken a loss and decided Swamp Thing was too expensive to continue. Guy Gasser, the director of the North Carolina Film Office, has since refuted that report, as the numbers stated were far off from reality. It seems the most likely reason for the cancellation is creative differences, as apparently the new higher-ups at WarnerMedia are just not fans of the show.

One person confused by the cancellation is producer James Wan, who took to his Instagram account to say, 

Don’t really know or understand why ‘Swamp Thing’ was cancelled. 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."

Episode 2 was made available for viewing on DC Universe on the 7th, and there are still eight episodes to come before it's all over.

Swamp Thing stars Crystal Reed, Maria Sten, Jeryl Prescott, Jennifer Beals, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton, Michael Beach, Henderson Wade, Ian Ziering, Kevin Durand, Andy Bean, and Adrienne Barbeau, with Derek Mears as the title character. Reed plays CDC Doctor Abby Arcane, who 

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. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.

James Wan's company Atomic Monster produced Swamp Thing in association with Warner Bros. Television. Wan, Wiseman, and pilot writers Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman served as executive producers on the series with Michael Clear. Rob Hackett co-produced.