Joe Manganiello says Ben Affleck's Batman flick pitted the Dark Knight (and Batgirl) vs Deathstroke

The recently released cut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League gave fans a lot of things the Joss Whedon cut did not. Darkseid. Jared Leto’s Joker. A chorus of Icelandic singers serenading Aquaman. Slow motion mopping. A much snazzier, more sparkly suit for Steppenwolf. And of course, a reminder that Joe Manganiello was once on board to play the DCEU’s Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, in Ben Affleck’s now scrapped Batman film. 

But alas, that Batfleck movie never came to be. And according to Manganiello himself, that’s a shame, since it would have not only featured a kick-ass showdown between the caped crusader and Deathstroke, but it would have also had Batgirl tagging into the fight. 

Speaking with Comic Book Nation, the podcast for ComicBook.com, Manganiello spilled the beans on the “big huge showdown” that was planned for the film that Affleck was set to helm. 

“There was like a big huge showdown. Batgirl jumps in to try to help Bruce because Deathstroke is so fast that he can anticipate Bruce's movements,” said Manganiello. “And there was this huge fight in Gotham City where Batman is like, you know, completely afraid because he realizes he's met someone who can take him. And that leads to this big climactic battle through the streets of Gotham City at the end.”

Sure, that sounds “really cool, really dark, and really hard” (Manganiello’s words). But it’s very, very unlikely to happen. Warner Bros. is in no rush to develop any more Snyderverse films, and apart from making a cameo in that upcoming Flash standalone film, Affleck doesn’t seem interested in returning full time to the character (or DCEU). Not to mention, Warner Bros. already has other plans. Guess we’ll only be seeing Deathstroke in our knightmares for the time being. 

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is currently streaming on HBO Max.