Joe Manganiello’s Slade Wilson / Deathstroke was supposed to make several appearances in the DCEU, including a standalone film with Gareth Evans at the helm. After fighting a long battle for the film, even amidst the DC restructuring, Manganiello is finally ready to say goodbye to Deathstroke, taking a little advice from his friend James Gunn.
The character first appeared in the post-credits scene of the Justice League theatrical cut. However, his appearance was expanded a bit more in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Manganiello was also set to appear in Ben Affleck’s version of The Batman before Matt Reeves took over the project.
James Gunn Convinces Joe Manganiello To Let Go Of Deathstroke
Joe Manganiello‘s Deathstroke will perhaps be the most unlucky character in the DCEU. In a 2020 interview with Comicbook, Manganiello revealed that at least seven different Deathstroke projects were canceled in the DCEU. After Justice League, the character was supposed to appear as an antagonist to Ben Affleck in the planned film, The Batman. Manganiello also impressed WB with a script for a solo Deathstroke movie, which was greenlit with Gareth Evans at the helm.
In December 2020, Joe Manganiello revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he would no longer play the character in The Batman. Evans earlier revealed to Yahoo! that his Deathstroke project was delayed, and he was no longer attached to the project. While Manganiello understood that his solo film project was no longer moving forward, he still kept hope for the project.
In 2022, WB announced the restructuring of the DC Universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran at the top. Manganiello revealed in a recent interview with Comicbook that he had finally decided to move on from the project. He also revealed that his Deathstroke screenplay earlier impressed Jim Lee at DC Comics, who wanted to make it as a graphic novel. He further added that he had a conversation about the character with James Gunn.
He shared that no one at DC, including Gunn, could assure him that the graphic novel would bring the attention of directors or producers to his character. He was advised by The Suicide Squad director to finally let go of the character. The Magic Mike actor shared with Comicbook:
“James [Gunn] is my buddy, and James and I had a conversation about it because Jim lee over at DC Comics wanted me to create a graphic novel series based on the screenplay that I wrote for the Deathstroke origin film that, when they were dismantling the DCEU, that went to the wayside as well. Jim read it, and wanted it to be a graphic novel series, but no one could assure me that, if it garnered the attention of directors and producers, that I couldn’t be attached. So I had to let it go. James Gunn was just like, ‘Let it go.'”
James Gunn’s plan for the DCU is a complete overhaul of the earlier DCEU. All characters and storylines from the earlier universe were abandoned, with the exception of characters from The Peacemaker and Blue Beetle. The first project of the new DCU, Creature Commandos, will premiere this year. The franchise’s big screen debut will be Superman: Legacy, scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025.
Joe Manganiello Is Busy Despite Deathstroke Cancelation
In 2020, amidst all the uncertainty surrounding his DCEU character, Joe Manganiello starred in the independent superhero mystery thriller, Archenemy. The ambitious project, helmed by Adam Mortimer, explores a troubled superhero Max Fist whose best days are behind him. In 2022, he played Tomm Schultz in the dystopian sci-fi series Moonhaven.
Manganiello returned for a cameo role in the sequel to Magic Mike, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. In last year’s The Kill Room, he played a thief-turned-artist Reggie alongside Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson. More than his career, Manganiello’s personal life was widely discussed in the media in 2023 as he and Sofia Vergara announced their separation after seven years of marriage (via Page Six). Their divorce was finalized a few days back.
Joe Manganiello’s brief appearance as Deathstroke in Justice League can be now enjoyed on Netflix.
