The role of Madame Xanadu in DC Universe’s live-action Swamp Thing series has been filled. Madame Xanadu will be portrayed by The Walking Dead’s Jeryl Prescott. If you are unfamiliar with Madame Xanadu she’s a blind fortune teller, and a precog who is skilled in magic.
DC Universe made their announcement on their Twitter account on Friday.
The cards have spoken: Madame Xanadu is joining #DCUSWAMPTHING, played by @TheRealJeryl! #DCUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/bUKOsjNMcQ
— DC Universe (@TheDCUniverse) October 26, 2018
Jeryl Prescott played Jacqui on The Walking Dead in Season 1. Jacqui committed suicide in the season finale by staying behind at the CDC when the complex blew up.
Prescott joins a cast that already includes Crystal Reed from Gotham as Abby Arcane, niece of the mad scientist and Swamp Thing archnemesis Anton Arcane, and Maria Sten as Liz Tremayne.
Derek Mears, bit player, stuntman, and a former Jason Voorhees, will take on the role of the title mossy avatar of The Green, at least he is expected to wear the make-up.
Premiering in 2019, Swamp Thing was announced for DC Universe last May. It promises to be a hard-R supernatural horror thriller, according to most outlets. Len Wiseman (director of Underworld) will direct the pilot.
The new Swamp Thing series marks the return of the character to television after a 25-year hiatus. It’s one of the flagship shows for the DC Universe streaming service along with Titans and Doom Patrol.
Reportedly, the plot will center around Abby Arcane returning to her hometown after an outbreak of some kind. Working for the CDC, she investigates the contagion and the mysteries of the swamp.
The presence of Madame Xanadu offers a counterpoint to that grounded realism, boding well for fans who want to see their fair share of swamp magic employed.
Xanadu, created by David Michelinie and Val Mayerik, first appeared in 1978 in the pages of Doorway to Nightmare. She closely associates with The Spectre and made appearances alongside Swamp Thing and Justice League Dark. That could mean an appearance by Spectre on the show and JLD assembling somewhere down the line. She also featured prominently in the fantastic [easyazon_link identifier=”1401284825″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Demon: Hell is Earth[/easyazon_link] miniseries alongside Etrigan and Jason Blood so it’s possible they could make an appearance on the show sometime down the road.