Vincent D’Onofrio Really Wants to Play Swamp Thing in the DCU

Via Comic Book, we learned that someone made a post on X asking if D’Onofrio should play DC Comics’ Elemental. The actor responded, simply saying, “Yes. He should.” D’Onofrio has stated on several occasions that Swamp Thing is one of his favorite comic book characters of all time. In fact, he places him right up there with Spider-Man and Batman. As recently as April, the Men in Black actor said he wanted to play the character in some form. In early 2023, James Gunn announced that DC Studios was planning a Swamp Thing film, with James Mangold directing. That’s still the plan, but the project has landed on the back burner. So D’Onofrio’s wishes to play the character may bear fruit. Not that we think Swamp Thing is that kind of plant.

Swamp Thing began as a horror comic, about a brilliant scientist named Alec Holland, who transforms into a hideous but misunderstood creature. First appearing in the 1970s, it was in the ’80s that future Watchmen author Alan Moore transformed the character into something more poetic. Moore’s Swamp Thing run became one of the most celebrated comics of the era. Swamp Thing has appeared in film and TV before, with Wes Craven’s 1982 film and its low-budget follow-up. Later, ’90s cartoon show aired, and a critically acclaimed but short-lived series in 2019 on the DCU streaming service. It remains to be seen if a new theatrical Swamp Thing project will ever see the light of day. But at least we know one great actor is ready to get in the makeup chair for it.