While DC Universe's streaming service may be mostly devoted to the myriad superheroes that put DC Comics on the map, a few delightful outlier properties are also getting some much-needed attention. For example, we're getting a new Swamp Thing TV show, and now we know who will take on the central roles. The Friday the 13th reboot's Jason Voorhees himself, Derek Mears, will be covered in muck to portray the eco-altered bog monster, while Here and Now's Andy Bean was cast as the human alter ego, Alec Holland.
With Titans currently winning over audiences with its freshman season on DC Universe, Swamp Thing is just putting all of its various pieces together, with quite a few casting stories dropping in recent days. But none were more anticipated than the announcement about the creature himself.
Derek Mears is a pretty solid choice for the role of Swamp Thing, and not only because he's donned the hockey mask as one of cinema's most popular monsters for 2009's maligned Friday the 13th. According to the official description, Mears' Swamp Thing will obviously have a "monstrous physique" and will boast "strange new powers over plant life."
Dark forces will be threatening the safety and well being of those in the town of Marais, which means our titular green anti-hero will have to come to terms with his transformation in order to save the town. Oh, and possibly THE ENTIRE WORLD. It probably won't be the easiest set of goals, but I'm betting not everyone is willing to engage with a beast that looks like Swamp Thing.
Swamp Thing definitely isn't the first time the genre-friendly Derek Mears signed on for a DC Comics project. During The Flash Season 4, the actor played Sylbert Rundine, a.k.a. Dwarfstar, for a couple of episodes. He also tapped into his Marvel sensibilities as a Kree Captain on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As far as other fictional badasses go, Mears also portrayed Kickpuncher on Community, and we're bummed there hasn't been a spinoff yet.
Meanwhile, the show's central doomed biologist Alec Holland will be played by Andy Bean, who will be seen by millions as Adult Stanley Uris in IT: Chapter Two. A scientist with passion to spare, Alec discovers that a new illness affecting the town of Marais has connections to work he is doing in a local swamp. Enter one dark force or two, and Alec gets transformed into the flowery Swamp Thing.
For the most part, Swamp Thing projects tend to use Alec's human form as an origin-story prop, while sticking almost entirely to the creature element in the aftermath. However, that may change with DC Universe's Swamp Thing, which cast Andy Bean as a full series regular. He'll clearly be around for more than just the premiere, but how will that work? Perhaps Derek Mears will just provide the intimidating physical form for Swamp Thing, while Bean handles the voice work?
This pair marks the latest bit of exciting casting for Swamp Thing in recent weeks. The first star cast was Flashdance's Jennifer Beals, who will play the practical and extremely tough Sheriff Lucila Cable. The Walking Dead recurrer Jeryl Prescott was cast as the sorceress protagonist Madame Xanadu. And when it comes to romance, Gotham's Crystal Reed will be playing Alec's significant other Abby Arcane.
Over on the more villainous side of things, Falling Skies' Will Patton will play the antagonist Avery Sunderland. Designated Survivor's Virginia Madsen will play his originated-for-TV wife, named Maria.
It's currently unknown when Swamp Thing will make its big debut on DC Universe, but you can bet we'll be watching out for a date. In the meantime, the fall TV schedule has something for every kind of TV fan to start obsessing over.
