Back in April, "Splice" director Vincenzo Natali told MTV News he'd love to direct a "Swamp Thing" movie based on Alan Moore's celebrated run on the series. In town to promote the June 4 premiere of "Splice," the filmmaker dropped by the newsroom this week to chat about the thriller, and also give us an update on the "Swamp Thing" front.

Sadly, fans of a Natali-directed "Swamp Thing" might not want to hold their breath waiting for the project to materialize.

"Unfortunately, there is no 'Swamp Thing' movie in the works right now because of all the legal entanglements involved with that particular property," Natali told MTV News. "I'm told it won't happen any time soon."

"Joel Silver was going to do Swamp Thing, and he actually had a couple of scripts in, only to discover later on that the film rights were held by another company," explained Natali. "And it's even more complicated than that, I'm told. So unfortunately, it's not going to happen any time soon."

Created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson in 1971, Swamp Thing has been the subject of multiple films and television series, both live-action and animated — beginning with 1982's Wes Craven-directed "Swamp Thing." However, none of the the projects have focused on Moore's run on the series, in which the creature learns that he's more of an Earth elemental than a transformed man, and ponders the true nature of his existence.

"Everyone wants the Alan Moore version," he said. "[But] it's tricky because Alan Moore has very negative feelings toward the film industry ... he's not shy about it. I honestly don't even know all of the complexities of the legal issues surrounding it, but I know they are complex."

"It's really unfortunate, because in my mind, Swamp Thing is one of the great DC characters," added Natali. "In particular, the Alan Moore version of Swamp Thing is so fascinating and totally original, unlike anything you've ever seen in a movie before."

"I'd like to do it, but it ain't going to happen soon," he said.

Would you like to see a Natali-directed Swamp Thing? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter!