Deathstroke is a DC Comics villain who has enjoyed popularity in the comics, TV shows and video games, but he has yet to make his theatrical debut. Since last year, Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello has been attached to play Slade Wilson in the DC films universe, but given the behind-the-scenes changes on The Batman, the character's future with the franchise has been unclear. However, it was reported earlier this week that DC has a Deathstroke movie in development, and a recent social media post from Manganiello may imply that he's still attached to play the one-eyed mercenary.
Coming a couple days after the news that The Raid director Gareth Evans is in early discussions with DC and Warner Bros to helm a Deathstroke movie, Joe Manganiello posted the above picture of a battle-damaged Deathstroke mask on his Twitter page. With no caption, we're left wondering if he's merely acknowledging the news about the Deathstroke movie or if this is his indirect way of saying we can still expect to see him playing the villain/occasional anti-hero. One would think that if Manganiello wasn't still the man DC wanted to play the cinematic Deathstroke, he wouldn't have bothered teasing fans with such a picture. So while we can't say for certain yet if the actor is in on this solo movie, we'd like to think this tweet bodes well for folks who've been eager to see him put on the orange and blue/black costume.
Originally the plan was for Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke to be The Batman's main antagonist. However, when War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves took over as that movie's actor, he decided to start from scratch on the story, and since then it hasn't been clarified if Slade Wilson will still be fighting Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader. It was also rumored earlier this year that Deathstroke will appear in Justice League when he breaks Lex Luthor out of Arkham Asylum, though given that Luthor has reportedly been cut from the movie, one can surmise that the chances Slade Wilson taking part in these proceedings has diminished significantly.
Outside of the comics, Deathstroke's notable media appearances include the Teen Titan animated series, the recent animated movie Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and the video game Batman: Arkham Origins. In the realm of live action, however, so far he's best known on Arrow, where he's played by Spartacus' Manu Bennett. This version of the character started out as an ally to Oliver Queen, became a villain in Season 2 and has only just recently transitioned back to being a good guy.
Stay tuned for CinemaBlend for more news on Deathstroke's cinematic future. In the meantime, you can look through our DC movie guide to see what other projects this franchise has in store, as well as check out our 2017 premiere guide so you can schedule your trips to the theater for the rest of year accordingly.
