Joe Manganiello shared new details about the storyline for the cancelled Ben Affleck version ofThe Batman. According to Manganiello, the film would have revolved around a sinister plot orchestrated by DC Comics villain Deathstroke that is comparable to the machinations depicted in David Fincher’sThe Game.
After portraying the Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandJustice League, Affleck intended to reprise the role in a standalone film he wrote and directed. However, Affleck stepped away from the project as the writer and director before ultimately retiring from the role of Batman in early 2019.
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Affleck’s version ofThe Batmanwas slated to feature the villainous mercenary Deathstroke, whom Manganiello portrayed in a brief post-credits sequence featured inJustice League. Unfortunately, Deathstroke was excised from the project whenMatt Reeves signed on to directThe Batmanand retooled its story.
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Manganiello provided insight into what Deathstroke had planned for Affleck’s caped crusader and what was motivating the villain inThe Batman. “It was a really dark story in which Deathstroke was like a shark or a horror movie villain that was dismantling Bruce’s life from the inside out,” Manganiello said. “It was this systemic thing: He killed everyone close to Bruce and destroyed his life to try and make him suffer because he felt that Bruce was responsible for something that happened to him.”
Manganiello will have another chance to portray Deathstroke as one of the actors involved inreshoots for Zack Snyder’s cut ofJustice League. While Snyder had intended for the post-credits scene to set up Deathstroke’s appearance in Affleck’sBatmanfilm, the purpose of the sequence was reworked after Joss Whedon oversaw reshoots that significantly altered Snyder’s vision. “They reshot all of Jesse’s dialogue to teaseJustice League Part 2, which was going to be about the Injustice League,” Manganiello said. “All of that dialogue was about Batman originally, and it was changed to lines like ‘Shouldn’t we have a league of our own?'”
Affleck will reprise his role as Batmanat least one more time in Ezra Miller’sThe Flash,a standalone film focused on the Scarlet Speedster that is partly inspired by theFlashpointcomic book storyline. According to director Andy Muschietti, the relationship between Affleck’s Bruce Wayne and Miller’s Barry Allen will be crucial to the emotional impact of the film.
For those who may not be aware,Fincher’sThe Gameis a 1997 thriller starring Michael Douglas as a wealthy banker who signs up to participate in what he believes to be a harmless game. However, the banker’s life starts to fall apart as the line between his life and the game becomes more uncertain.
The Batmanis currently scheduled to be released in theaters on August 07, 2025.
