Scrapped Ben Affleck Batman Film Would Have Featured Batgirl and a Major Character’s Death, Deathstroke Actor Says

What did Joe Manganiello reveal about Ben Affleck’s Batman film?

Rumors about the plot of Ben Affleck’s scrapped Batman film have circulated for years. Now Joe Manganiello, who was cast as Deathstroke, has shared more details in his new memoir, Bloodlines.

In the 2010s, Affleck was attached to direct a Batman film starring his version of the hero from Zack Snyder’s DCEU. The movie never materialized because Affleck backed off directing for personal reasons. Manganiello was still cast as Deathstroke, an iconic villain from Batman and Teen Titans stories.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Manganiello describes the film in Bloodlines as “a superhero version of David Fincher’s The Game.” Deathstroke would try to “dismantle Batman’s entire life” after the death of his son Jericho. His relentless attacks would have led to the kidnapping of Alfred. They would also have led to a shocking death, since Deathstroke would have murdered J.K. Simmons’ Commissioner Gordon.

Manganiello also claims Batgirl would have appeared in the movie. In a mid-movie fight, Deathstroke would nearly kill the heroes before they escape by train. The film was then supposed to end with a brutal fight between Batman and Deathstroke, inspired by the iconic CG trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins.

The premise sounds brutal, and it fits the darker tone of the DCEU’s Batman. The movie never entered full production, though. Had it been made, Affleck’s Batman could have differed somewhat from what Manganiello recalls. Still, a Batman movie bold enough to kill Commissioner Gordon would have been worth seeing.

What happened to Deathstroke and Batman afterward?

Affleck’s Batman film never came to pass. Manganiello appeared as Deathstroke only in Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In a recent interview, he said he would be interested in reprising the role.

Warner Bros. went on to produce The Batman with Robert Pattinson instead of Affleck’s film. Now The Batman Part 2, a DCU-canon Batman film and Deathstroke movies are in the works.

Related reading: Batman v Superman failed both of its heroes

Source: Polygon