Swamp Thing Boss Reveals Original Plans For Cancelled DC Universe Show

When DC Universe original program Swamp Thing was canceled after its first episode aired, it was a surprising move to everyone who tuned in to watch the premiere. It wasn't just them, though. There were those working hard on the show that didn't see it coming, including showrunner Gary Dauberman.

Speaking to GameSpot while promoting his new film Annabelle Comes Home, Dauberman said the cancellation was "a bit of a gut punch." He continued, "I am so proud of that show and what the crew and the cast pulled off because it marked the high point in leading the charge. That is not an easy thing to pull off."

According to Dauberman, he and fellow showrunner Mark Verheiden worked hard to match the tone of the comics in bringing Swamp Thing to life. "The comic series is so exceptional, there's a reason why it's been around as long as it has and we wanted to give the characters respect," he explained. "And also, Mark and I went in, when we [were] writing the pilot, talking about the first season, we wanted to really be true to the spirit of the book."

What would that have meant for future seasons? While Dauberman didn't go into specific stories he wanted to tackle, he had a general idea for the structure of the show going forward. "I was looking forward to telling a couple more self-contained stories, not self-contained itself, but like three arc stories too, coupled within the larger [mysteries]," he said. "Like a season-long mystery or engine, but also be able to explore some of those dark corners of the swamp where you get those, where it almost feels like a little bit like an anthology."

While Dauberman said they weren't considering dipping into a "monster of the week" format, there were some monsters he wanted to explore; namely Swamp Thing stories that include werewolves and vampires. "We could have done so much that I'm sad that we're not going to be able to get to do in this incarnation, you know," he lamented.

At least DC Universe will continue to air the 10-episode first season of the show before officially calling it quits. New episodes of Swamp Thing arrive on the service on Fridays. Anabelle Comes Home is in theaters now.