Joe Manganiello, who was set to reprise the role of Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s abandoned Batman film, talks about everything that would have happened if the superhero film had been released in theaters.
In his new memoir “Bloodlines,” released Tuesday, the actor wrote that Affleck, who was attached as writer, director, producer and star, planned to make the film “a superhero version of David Fincher’s ‘The Game'” in which Deathstroke would “dismantle Batman’s entire life” after being led to believe the Caped Crusader killed his son (via EW).
Manganiello, who first played DC supervillain Deathstroke briefly in 2017’s “Justice League,” wrote that the murder of Commissioner Gordon, taking Alfred Pennyworth hostage and breaking into the Batcave would all be part of Deathstroke’s revenge plan, and that the film would have included a fight in which “Deathstroke nearly kills Batman and Batgirl before they both escape via a surface train.”
According to the “Magic Mike” actor, the film would have concluded with a “climactic one-on-one confrontation on the streets of Gotham.” “It looked good to me,” Manganiello wrote. “I told Ben how great I thought his films were, especially ‘The Town,’ and how I was really looking forward to seeing his version of the best Batman movie ever.” He then explained that Affleck’s roles on set seemed “a lot” for one person, to which the “Argo” director responded, “Yeah, I know… But don’t worry, you’re in good hands. You’re in good hands, man.”
Ultimately, the film was never released. Recently, Ben Affleck appeared on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and called “Justice League” the “low point of my career” again.
“The ‘Justice League’ experience was so negative for many different reasons, some of which had to do with where I was at personally and some of which had to do with the tragedy that happened at that time,” Affleck said. “I’ve seen how not to make a movie like that, and that’s where the studio is at odds with the filmmaker. You’re really making a mistake. I was really happy and satisfied that Zack was able to get (his version out via the Snyder Cut).
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