Nobody has been jerked around by DC Films’ ineptitude worse than Joe Manganiello. Signed to star as awesome villain Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s The Batman, the plan was scrapped when Matt Reeves came aboard. This despite leaked test footage that fans flipped out for. The character then appeared in the Justice League end credits, again to strong response from fans, and now who knows if that story thread will ever be followed on. We also learned he would play the character in a solo movie directed by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans, an absolute perfection match if there ever was one. And there hasn’t been any movement on that film since. In fact, in a recent Reddit Q&A Evans said he’s pretty busy until 2020, and doesn’t mention Deathstroke at all. I have a feeling that ship has sailed, but who knows?
So what gives? Another Reddit user claims to have spoken with Manganiello awhile at a Comic-Con event in Melbourne. Manganiello reportedly “confirmed” Deathstroke will be in Suicide Squad 2 and will be their primary target. If Justice League setup the formation of Lex Luthor’s Injustice League, then it might make sense to have Task Force X gunning for Deathstroke.
Still, I would take caution putting too much trust in this rumor. Gavin O’Connor is writing and directing Suicide Squad 2 which we know is undergoing rewrites with the recent addition of Gotham’s Todd Stashwick.
