Deathstroke Will Be The Villain In The Solo ‘Batman’ Movie And Joe Manganiello Will Play The Role
Ben Affleck is far from done with the cape and cowl as he will be Bruce Wayne/Batman again in the Justice League movies, but he’s also getting his own solo flick. Months ago, it was reported that Batman would face off against numerous old-school villains in one capacity or another, but the movie does need a primary antagonist. It is now known that Batfleck will take on Deathstroke and he will be played by Joe Manganiello.
Yes, the casting has been made and it is quite accurate and perfect for what fans would want to see from a solo Batman movie.
It’s true (and perfect): Joe Manganiello will play Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s #Batman movie pic.twitter.com/eCtxonkVpq
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) September 8, 2016
Making matters even more exciting with this news, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, is that Ben Affleck is really having some fun with the whole thing. It’s quite obvious that he has taken the role of the Caped Crusader very seriously since Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he’s putting his all into it.
Speculation first started flying around about a little over a week ago when Affleck hopped on Twitter and posted a video with no caption or information. It simply showed Deathstroke walking toward the camera and it sent the internet into a frenzy.
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016
With the official announcement of Joe Manganiello taking on the role, it is safe to say that Affleck was merely setting that up. It’s also safe to say that it is Manganiello who is behind the mask in Affleck’s video tweet.
For those who aren’t aware, Deathstroke first appeared in the #2 issue of New Teen Titans back in 1980 and quickly became a recurring villain. He has faced off with the Teen Titans, Batman, Green Arrow, and a number of others in the DC Comics universe.
Deathstroke is one of those who can be extremely bad and one of the worst villains that a hero has ever faced, but he can also side with the good guys when it is to his liking. On Arrow on The CW, he appeared often in Season 1 and was then the focal point villain in Season 2.
In that TV series, Deathstroke was played by Manu Bennett and fans loved the character and casting choice. It seems now, though, that they’re even happier with the casting of Manganiello for the movie version of the iconic character.
As of now, it is unknown if Deathstroke is going to appear in the live-action Justice League films, but there are some hints to that possibility. Superhero Hype pointed out that the video posted by Affleck is Deathstroke being filmed on one of the sets for Justice League, so that idea isn’t dead yet.
It will be interesting to see if Deathstroke and Batman ever side with one another on the big screen or if they simply stay as opposing forces.
Ben Affleck is going to direct the solo Batman film and he will co-write the script with DCEU high-up Geoff Johns. The exact release date has not yet been set for the film, but there are two open slots on the DCEU slate with Oct. 5, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2019.
Joe Manganiello has had a number of big-time roles throughout his career with fans mostly knowing him for his work on True Blood and in Magic Mike. His huge stature and dominating appearance make him perfect for the role of Deathstroke and he should face off well against Ben Affleck’s caped hero in the solo Batman movie. Now, it just remains to be seen if the other villains appearing in the film will be part-timers or have bigger roles.
[Image via Warner Bros.]
