[5] Directed by Brett Leonard and written by Hans Rodionoff, it stars Matthew Le Nevez, Rachael Taylor, and Jack Thompson, with Conan Stevens portraying the title character.

The film follows a Louisiana sheriff (Le Nevez) as he investigates a series of deaths in a swamp, leading to him encountering the eponymous creature.

Originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States,[1] the film premiered on the Sci Fi Channel on April 30, 2005.

At Dark Waters, a Native American sacred land containing an enigmatic swamp spirit, a teenager is murdered by a plant-like monster.

Schist then asked the sheriff for help: local protesters opposed his perfectly legal activities, and mestizo scoundrel Rene Laroque was sabotaging his facilities.

Williams investigates this while trying to find an explanation for the missing people, some of which were found brutally murdered with plants growing from inside their bodies.

Photographer Mike Ploog and shaman Pete Horn tell Williams local legends about the guardian spirit, suggesting that it could be real.

As sabotage and murder continue, Williams investigates the swamp with Fraser and finds the previous sheriff's corpse.

The monster survives the flames, but then is absorbed back to the land, allowing Williams and Richards to leave unharmed.

The characters portrayed by Mammone, Zappa, and director Leonard are named after Mike Ploog, Steve Gerber, and Val Mayerik, who all worked on the Man-Thing comic.

[11] Although filming was originally intended to be done in New Orleans, budget realities forced production to be relocated to Australia.

[7] In April 2004, the film had been completed, with the finished print received and waiting to be tested with audiences, after which an exact release date would be determined.

The film was rated R for violence, grisly images, language and some sexuality by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

[7] Avi Arad, then CEO of Marvel Studios, admitted that it was a mistake not keeping tabs on the production, as it was being filmed so far away in Australia.

"[15] Marvel Studios producer Avi Arad said "the lead character in the Man-Thing movie would be a combination of prosthetics and computer-generated effects.

[7] The Man-Thing was built as a full-size creature suit, portrayed by Conan Stevens, a 7-foot-1-inch (216 cm) Australian actor, ex-wrestler and stuntman.

The band AzUR (DOG Productions' Wayne and Luke, joined by Bec And Freddie) recorded the song "The Man-Thing Lives Again" which was played over the end credits of the film.

It was supposed to be released as a promotional video, but since the film was in a constant state of flux (financial, script, etc.

Marvel did not want to leak advance images of the set and creature costume before the film's eventual release.

[18] While the film was released direct to television in North America, it played theatrically in three international markets where it accumulated $1,123,136 in box office grosses.

[26] Jon Condit from Dread Central gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5, writing, "Maybe in more capable hands than Brett Leonard's this could have been a creepy, albeit cheesy monster movie, but instead it just ends up falling flat.

[29] Andrew Smith of Popcorn Pictures rated the film a 5/10, calling it "[a] Wasted effort but watchable anyway".

[31][32] The Man-Thing appears in the 2022 Marvel Cinematic Universe special Werewolf by Night, motion-captured by Carey Jones and with Jeffrey Ford providing additional vocalizations.