Joseph Manganiello Set to Play Deathstroke in Batman
Late last month, Ben Affleck tweeted out a video that had the internet buzzing. It was a video of what appeared to be a live-action version of Deathstroke for the DCEU movies. Some fans wondered if it meant the longtime DC Universe rogue would be appearing in Justice League. Well today, The Wall Street Journal reports that actor Joseph Manganiello has been officially cast in the role of Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. In addition, Deathstroke will be the villain in the upcoming, planned solo Batman movie starring Ben Affleck.
DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns personally confirmed the casting news. Johns wouldn’t comment on whether Manganiello might show up as Deathstroke in Justice League. Johns and Affleck are currently co-writing the upcoming Batman script, and Affleck is also attached to direct the project.
Manganiello’s previous credits, besides his work in the acclaimed TV series True Blood, also include the original 2002 Spider-Man movie, where he played Flash Thompson, and the Magic Mike films.
The character of Deathstroke originated in the pages of the New Teen Titans in 1980. He was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez. Deathstroke didn’t really originate as a Bat-villain, but more recently he’s been tangling with the Dark Knight after being featured in Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight. He also bested Batman in the comics in a fight in the 1990s.
The new Batman movie currently doesn’t have a release date, but the article indicates a 2018 release is possible. You can also check out the previous Deahstroke video that Ben Affleck tweeted out below.
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016