Photo Credit: Lucasfilm, Warner Bros.
The latest Star Wars announcement from Lucasfilm has fans hoping that a forgotten DCU project could be fast-tracked.
Kathleen Kennedy recently shared some major updates about some forthcoming Lucasfilm projects when speaking to Deadline. During that interview, she addressed a Star Wars movie that was announced in 2023. James Mangold is attached to direct this film; however, there haven’t been many concrete updates on it, and judging by Kennedy’s recent comments, it sounds like it’s not coming anytime soon.
“Jim Mangold and Beau Willimon wrote an incredible script, but it is definitely breaking the mold and it’s on hold,” Kennedy said.
What DCU project are fans hoping will happen after the Star Wars announcement?
Mangold is also attached to direct a film set within James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU: Swamp Thing. The project was initially announced in January 2023; however, similar to the Star Wars project, there haven’t been many updates about it moving forward.
Still, with the Star Wars movie being put on the back burner, DCU fans are hoping Gunn and Safran will take the opportunity to fast-track Swamp Thing.
Since Lucasfilm has no idea what they’re doing, it’s time to give James Mangold whatever he wants and get his Swamp Thing movie made.Come on James Gunn, the time is now! pic.twitter.com/Cfiaewx3b2— The Moonlight Warrior ? (@BlackMajikMan90) January 16, 2026
Let’s hope it’s just on hold because Mangold is working on Swamp Thing for DC. https://t.co/Yez6Wa3pw2— Retney’s Holocron YouTube (@retneysholocron) January 16, 2026
Just get Mangold to make Swamp Thing already.My word. https://t.co/It4slRzGip— James Prescott: Superhero & Punk Rocker (@JamesPrescott77) January 16, 2026
It’s also worth noting that Mangold is attached to direct a film for Paramount Pictures titled High Side. That movie, described as a “biker thriller,” will star Timothée Chalamet, who Mangold previously worked with on A Complete Unknown. Jeff Sneider of TheInSneider says that High Side will be “next” for Mangold, but Swamp Thing could potentially follow after that.
So the big takeaway, for me, from this exit interview, is that James Mangold’s STAR WARS movie appears to be on the backburner. Obviously, he has the Chalamet movie next but I thought SW would be after that. Maybe he’ll head to DC instead. I know he’s excited about SWAMP THING…— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) January 15, 2026
Gunn said about Swamp Thing when it was originally announced, “A very dark horror story [about] the origins of the monster who is Swamp Thing. Although it’s tonally outside the rest of the DCU, it will still feed into the rest of the stories.”
Swamp Thing does not have a release date at this time. Up next for the DCU is Supergirl, which arrives on June 26, 2026.
