James Mangold wants to make a gothic movie about Swamp Thing

Director sees DC Studios project as a standalone story outside the franchise
DC Studios' upcoming Swamp Thing director James Mangold sees the upcoming comic book movie as a standalone gothic horror film. Asked if he feels pressure to tackle one of the most important characters in the DC Universe, the director replied, "Not at all. While I'm sure DC sees Swamp Thing as part of the franchise, I would see the project as a very simple, straightforward, gothic horror film about this man/monster... I'd just do something of my own with it, separate from everything else." The director, whose Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Doom is released worldwide on June 30, 2023, added that he had "nurtured the idea of making some sort of Frankenstein movie for years" before calling James Gunn and Peter Safran with an offer to do something for DC Studios.

James Mangold's directorial leanings
Anyone familiar with the work of James Mangold, who has directed such films as Wolverine: Immortal, Logan, Ford vs Ferrari, Train to Yuma, knows that he likes to tell standalone stories with a clear and consistent narrative and story arcs. He has never been attracted to the universe model - even the films of the same franchise, Wolverine: Immortal and Logan, were positioned as stand-alone projects with only a slight connection to the larger X-Men franchise through references to past events. His upcoming Star Wars project will focus on the beginnings of the Jedi Order, which will surely allow him to sidestep the larger franchise.