Back in October 2017, it was announced that Joe Manganiello was set to get his own solo movie as Slade Wilson AKA Deathstoke. The project focusing on the DC supervillain was attached to director Gareth Evans, most known for his critically acclaimed actioner The Raid. Once the character made his debut in the DC Extended Universe in Justice League, however, it was rumored that the film had been put on ice – even if Manganiello himself denied that back in April.
Still in the works, it may be, but it doesn’t sound like Deathstroke will be hitting cinemas anytime soon. That’s because Evans has revealed on his Instagram account that he’s fully booked until at least 2020. And even after that he may be too busy working on smaller projects to make the DC flick.
“Going straight into production on a TV show soon in UK,” Evans said in reply to another user. “That will keep me busy making general mayhem til 2020 then looking at making a bunch of films in Wales for the foreseeable future.”
Honestly, this was to be expected. Warner Bros. execs will probably be looking to to deliver some surefire successes in the next few years, such as Wonder Woman 2, so a standalone film for a villain without too much brand recognition outside of hardcore fans might not be much of a priority. That said, DC’s producing two separate Joker movies, so clearly they have a thing for solo vehicles for supervillains.
Even if Deathstroke isn’t arriving within the next few years, Manganiello could well show up now and again in other DC projects. Justice League saw Wilson sign up for Lex Luthor’s Injustice League, and it seems that this will become the new overarching shape of the franchise, as Luthor collects more villains for his gang. Maybe Deathstroke could be the one to recruit Black Manta in this December’s Aquaman? Time will tell, but we certainly hope we get the chance to see Slade again sooner rather than later.