Last year, DC Comics assassin Deathstroke was rumored to be the antagonist in the beleaguered solo Batman film before incoming director Matt Reeves scrapped Ben Affleck’s original script. Now, the supervillain is getting its own spinoff film with The Raid director Gareth Evans in early discussions to write and direct.
According to The Wrap, DC executives decided to go forward with the Deathstroke solo movie after being impressed by Evans’ pitch for the film. True Blood and Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello, who was cast as Deathstroke in Affleck’s version of The Batman, is attached to star.
Affleck gave comic book fans a sneak peek of Manganiello as Deathstroke last summer before handing the reins over to Reeves. Check it out below.
In the comic books, Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson, is an assassin for hire who has served as both an enemy and uneasy ally of the Caped Crusader. Recent iterations of the character have portrayed him as a cold-blooded mercenary with little regard for his assigned targets.
Evans broke onto the scene in 2011 with his groundbreaking martial arts film, The Raid: Redemption, and followed up with The Raid 2 three years later. Earlier this year, director Joe Carnahan and actor Frank Grillo announced they were reimagining The Raid with Evans giving his blessing and serving as producer. The Welsh director’s next project is the Netflix film, Apostle.
