James Gunn has been the head of DCU for some time now but the American filmmaker has failed to give a blockbuster thus far. As a result, DC Studios still waits to be in a comparable rivalry with the Marvel Cinematic Universe because as of now, Marvel is dominating the industry.
In order to start things over, Gunn recently decided to reboot the DC Cinematic Universe in The Flash movie. As a result, we saw a lot of actors bid farewell to their roles.
James Gunn talked to Joe Manganiello about his future as Deathstroke
Although he did not have a big part in the DCEU, Joe Manganiello portrayed the iconic role of Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke in Jack Snyder’s Justice League in 2017. After his cameo appearance in the movie, Manganiello was supposed to play the primary villain of Ben Affleck‘s Batman movie, but that project was eventually scrapped.
After the Batman project fell apart, Joe Manganiello started writing an original screenplay of Deathstroke which would cover the origin story of the character. However, it seems like we will not be seeing Manganiello in the role of Deathstroke anytime soon. This is because his long-time friend, James Gunn has convinced him to let it go.
In an interview with Comicbook, Joe Manganiello opened up about the situation and revealed how his original screenplay might now be used by DC Comics to make a graphic novel series. He said,
“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.'”
Although James Gunn and Joe Manganiello share a fantastic relationship off the screen, the fans of the DCU are not so impressed by letting go of Manganiello.
James Gunn receives hate after letting go of Joe Manganiello
After Joe Manganiello revealed that James Gunn asked him to give up on his character, the news quickly started making rounds on the internet. It wasn’t long until fans took to social media to call out the DCU boss despite Manganiello himself having no hard feelings towards Gunn.
One fan took to X(formerly Twitter) and wrote, “No one likes you, James Gunn”
Nobody likes you @JamesGunn
— Seidsan (@sidepictures) February 21, 2024
I like his movies but he does seem like an egotistical asshole to be honest.
— BoomStick Critique (@stim97891) February 21, 2024
A lot of fans also went on to mention how they enjoyed Joe Manganiello’s portrayal of Deathstroke and now they are disappointed as they won’t be seeing more of the actor.
Unless Gunn just has no place for Deathstroke in the DCU then i don’t see why he couldn’t keep this casting, it’s pretty good from what we got.
Jim Lee doing a Deathstroke origin based on this version excites me though
— Craig (@CS11__) February 21, 2024
As I said elsewhere, I really enjoy him as an actor. His delivery can be very comedic, so I’d love for Gunn to bring him on in some capacity.
— Bargain (@BargainBGaming) February 21, 2024
This guy played deathstroke so well though
— мя тωєєт 𓂀 (@audit_le_grand) February 21, 2024
The reboot of DCU has already started as at the end of The Flash movie, we saw George Clooney replace Ben Affleck as Batman. The reboot will start with full force with Superman: Legacy in which the titular character will be portrayed by David Corenswet in place of Henry Cavill.
Superman: Legacy is all set to be released next year on 11 July 2025.
