Sources revealed on Thursday that the just-released DC Universe show, Swamp Thing, will not be renewed for a second season. The first episode aired less than a week ago on May 31 and, though it wasn’t a smash-hit amongst critics or fans, the problems are deeper than they appear.
Swamp Thing was originally ordered as a 13 episode season, but back in April that plan was cut short. Filming wrapped early and plans changed to limit this first season to 10 episodes. A North Carolina newspaper located near the shoot reported that even the crew was shocked when production came to a crashing halt as a new ending was scrambled together. Circumstances appeared grim, but producer James Wan stepped in to assure audiences that it was for the best. He wrote on Facebook that he would’ve preferred an even shorter debut.
Just two weeks after this announcement, Star News Online reported that North Carolina’s film budget was facing major issues. When discussions around funding the film grants program began, the committee chairs thought nearly $67 million dollars was sitting in the coffers unused. Therefore, they opted not to fund the grant with another upcoming $30 million. The committee misinterpreted the situation. In reality, over half of that $67 million is already committed to upcoming projects, meaning the North Carolina film grant budget would be operating at about half of what it anticipated.
To put that in perspective, Star News Online reports that the pilot episode of Swamp Thing applied for $5 million alone and another $16 million for the remainder of its season. Though the grant is being cycled back into budget discussions, the damage has already taken a toll on film projects throughout the state.
That’s not all. Per Newsarama, speculation is rampant that DC’s entire streaming service may be in jeopardy as AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner continues to shake the company. If reorginization continues, services like DC Universe that fall under the WarnerMedia umbrella, including CrunchyRoll, Boomerang and HBO Go, may be consolidated under a single platform.
Though it’s unclear if Swamp Thing not being renewed is a result of this situation, it seems more than likely that there’s something other than bad reception skulks over its production.

12 COMMENTS

  1. Everyone knows those review are bought. It’s only the ones that agree with your own opinion that are legitimate.
    Or something.

  2. Crystal Reed was badly miscast as Abby Arcane. She’s supposed to be in her early 20’s and blonde, not 34 and brunette.

  3. Crystal Reed is fantastic in the show! I imagine they might have planned to turn her hair white down the road to match the classic Abby Arcane look.

Comments are closed.