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'Swamp Thing' Eps Cut Due to "Creative Differences;" DC Universe May Debut Still On

While reports that production on DC Universe's live-action Swamp Thing was ending early (with 10 episodes as opposed to the originally ordered 13 episodes) appear to be true, new reporting states that the reduction in episodes was due to "creative differences" between the show's creators and streaming service. The Hollywood Reporter reports from unnamed sources that the series will still premiere on the streaming service on May 31st, and that plans are still on for the remainder of the DC Universe slate (Titans, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Young Justice: Outsiders, and Stargirl)

Earlier today, news reports began circulating that production on the series was ending early. According to sources speaking with Star News Online, the show's production crew were notified of the news Tuesday night as writers work to rewrite the season's/series' ending (though some reshoots for earlier episodes may still take place).

The streaming service's adaptation is based on the DC Comics character created by Len Wein  and Bernie Wrightson. Set to premiere May 2019, Swamp Thing stars Crystal Reed, Andy Bean, Derek Mears, Jennifer Beals, Maria Sten, Jeryl Prescott, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton, Kevin Durand, Ian Ziering, and Leonardo Nam.

Written by showrunner Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman, and directed by Len Wiseman, the series stems from James Wan's Atomic Monster in association with Warner Bros. Television. Wan, Verheiden, Dauberman, Wiseman, and Michael Clear will executive produce, with the series set for a May 31, 2019 premiere.

DC Universe's Swamp Thing follows Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.

Here's an overview of DC Universe's Swamp Thing as well as a look at Bean's Alec Holland, Mears' Swamp Thing, Sten's Liz Tremayne, Reed's Dr. Abby Arcane, Beals' Sheriff Lucilia Cable, Prescott's Madame Xanadu, Madsen's Maria Sunderland, Patton's Avery Sunderland, Durand's Woodrue/Floronic Man, Ziering's Daniel Cassidy/Blue Devil, and Nam's Harlan Edwards – offering some clues as to what viewers could expect from the series:

● Emerging from the swamp with a monstrous physique and strange new powers over plant life, the man who was once Alec Holland (Bean) struggles to hold onto his humanity. Prior to his life as the elemental hero, Holland was a biologist who got caught in the crosshairs of a small town nightmare, when he discovered a bizarre local illness connected to his work in the swamp.

● When dark forces converge on the town of Marais, Swamp Thing (Mears) must embrace what he has become in order to defend the town as well as the natural world at large.

● Smart and caring, CDC Dr. Abby Arcane's (Reed) strong sense of empathy puts her at the center of a horrific life-threatening epidemic in her hometown, where she faces emotional demons from her past. A chance meeting with scientist Alec Holland takes her into a world of horror and the supernatural, and of the elemental creature known as Swamp Thing.

● Liz Tremayne (Sten) is a close childhood friend of Abby Arcane's, who splits her time between reporting for the local paper and bartending at her aging father's roadhouse bar. Her no-nonsense attitude belies a deep compassion for her friends and family as she sets out in her uncompromising quest to expose the secrets that threaten her beloved hometown.

● Sheriff Lucilia Cable (Beals) is tough as nails, pragmatic, and fiercely devoted to her son, Matt, her sworn duty to serve and protect the town of Marais. As the community she has dedicated her life to defending finds itself beset by strange forces, Lucilia must double down in her efforts to safeguard everyone she holds dear.

● Madame Xanadu (Prescott) is a centuries-old immortal who advises and aligns with crusaders against evil but is reluctant to join the fray directly.

● Maria Sunderland (Madsen) traded in her privileged upbringing for the swamps of Marais when she married local business magnate Avery Sunderland, but Avery's life-time obsession with the swamp has driven a wedge between him and Maria. Her poised existence is shaken further when the return of Abby Arcane reawakens a deep grief over the loss of Maria's daughter, Shawna, drawing her into the dark supernatural mysteries emerging from the swamp.

● Prominant businessman Avery Sunderland (Patton) serves as the de facto patriarch of his Louisiana hometown, always giving back to the community. His benevolent veneer, however, masks a ruthless determination to harness the power of the swamp for profit.

● Jason Woodrue/Floronic Man (Durand) is a biogeneticist without equal – and he knows it. Brought in to study the unique properties of a small-town Louisiana swamp, Woodrue becomes fixated on unlocking the potential contained within — leading to tragic and monstrous consequences.

● Stuntman turned movie star Daniel Cassidy/Blue Devil (Ziering) became semi-famous after playing the demonic Blue Devil. But now, eight years later, Cassidy finds himself living out his days in frustration, pining for his former fame while on a collision course with destiny.

● Harlan Edwards (Nam) is a gay CDC specialist and Dr. Abby Arcane's second-in-command.

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