Joe Manganiello reveals Deathstroke’s revenge plot for Affleck’s unmade Batman film
In his memoir, Bloodlines, Joe Manganiello says Ben Affleck’s planned Batman film would have cast Deathstroke as a villain seeking revenge after being led to believe Batman killed his son. Manganiello says the story would have included Commissioner Gordon’s death, Alfred held hostage, Batgirl fighting alongside Batman and a final showdown in Gotham.
Bottom line — Affleck’s Batman film was never made, and Manganiello’s account is the latest glimpse of its planned Deathstroke story.
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Manganiello describes the film as “a superhero version” of David Fincher’s The Game, according to Entertainment Weekly.
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Entertainment Weekly reports that Deathstroke would have broken into the Batcave and nearly killed Batman and Batgirl before they escaped on an above-ground train.
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Affleck reportedly planned to write, direct, produce and star in the film, Manganiello recalls in his memoir.
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The final fight between Batman and Deathstroke was to draw inspiration from a video-game sequence, Manganiello says, according to Entertainment Weekly.
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Affleck said in 2019 that he could not crack the project; in 2020, he described concerns that making the film could worsen his struggles with alcoholism, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.