Joe Manganiello might just be the unluckiest actor to ever sign on for a role in the DCEU. His post-credits cameo in the theatrical edition of Justice League led to nothing, and from the looks of things, so will his appearance in the epilogue of the Snyder Cut. On top of that, he was supposed to be the big bad of Ben Affleck’s The Batman, headline a solo outing to be directed by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans and even cleared his schedule after being part of The Suicide Squad‘s earliest drafts, and yet he’s got next to nothing to show for it.
Which is a real shame, as Manganiello possesses the gruff charisma, physicality and all-round sense of badassery to make for an awesome Deathstroke in the right project. It just so happens that all of the ones he gets attached to end up falling apart. However, tipster Mikey Sutton is now offering that an episodic adaptation of the Arkham Knight video game is in the works for HBO Max, one that would finally see Slade Wilson and the Dark Knight face off in a significant fashion.
Of course, take this one with a pinch of salt given that it would reportedly act as part of the SnyderVerse, which is all but over at this point based on the word of both the studio and Zack Snyder himself. Not only that, but we’ve heard Deathstroke linked to just as many hypothetical movies and TV shows as Affleck’s Batman, including a cameo in The Flash and a showdown opposite Will Smith’s Deadshot to name but two of many.
Manganiello might’ve embraced the campaign to see his character get his own limited streaming series, but the powers that be at Warner Bros. are evidently keen to put the entire SnyderVerse in the rear view mirror, so for now, the possibility of associated spinoffs remains remote.
