This is not a drill. According to a report from The Wrap, a Deathstroke film is in the early stages of development over at Warner Bros. Joe Manganiello, who played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, is the frontrunner to play Slade Wilson, one of DC Comics’ most cherished assassins. Umberto Gonzalez, the scoop king of Heroic Hollywood, said specific details are “to be determined.”
The Raid’ s Gareth Evans is reportedly signed on to direct, continuing the streak of filmmaker-driven Warner Bros. productions such as Glenn Ficarra for Harley Quinn & The Joker and Martin Scorsese for a Joker origin film (though details on both projects are shaky at this stage).
Back when Ben Affleck was attached as director of The Batman, Deathstroke was rumored to be the main antagonist. Affleck even posted a teaser video on Twitter. Back in October 2016, the actor also told Collider why he was so excited for the character’s debut in the DCEU.
“He’s a great villain because — I just had an instinctive feeling that he would match up with him well. You know, I’m a big admirer of that character as well, especially in the New 52 the way that they did Deathstroke, and I thought that it could work.”
When Matt Reeves stepped up to direct in Affleck’s place, the script was reportedly re-written and it’s unclear if Deathstroke is still slated to appear. Likely not, because according to The Wrap’s most recent report, Evans initially passed on directing Justice League Dark after DC executives were so enamored with his Deathstroke pitch.
Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Slade Wilson first appeared in The New Teen Titans (vol. 1) #2 published in 1980. The character has always been a fan favorite, but Manu Bennett’s portrayal of the brutal villain in the early seasons of Arrow solidified the anti-hero as one of the greatest antagonists in DC Comics history.
Are you excited to see Deathstroke in the DCEU? Let us know in the comments.
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016
