Though it may be incubating in the formative stages of development, Gareth Evans’ Deathstroke spinoff has already generated a ton of buzz online.
Having entered talks alongside Joe Manganiello (The Batman?) late last month, it seems The Raid filmmaker has officially begun his research on Slade Wilson, the masked vigilante who’s haunted Gotham since as far back as 1980. Three weeks ago, Evans took to Instagram to share his copy of Gods of War, Tony S. Daniel and Sandu Florea’s Deathstroke comic series that spanned from 2014 to 2016.
It’s a story fuelled by revenge (surprise!), as Slade Wilson journeys across the four corners of Gotham to locate his father Odysseus. Along the way, Deathstroke encounters a number of high-profile DC characters, including Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller, and the billionaire-by-day, vigilante-by-night known as Batman. Could this be a sure-fire sign that the Caped Crusader will swoop down to appear in Evans’ spinoff? ComicBook.com certainly thinks so.
As part of a new report, ComicBook.com is asserting that Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne could cross over into Deathstroke, which would be a rather strange twist of fate given Joe Manganiello’s mercenary was originally earmarked for an appearance in The Batman. That role has been called into question since the appointment of Matt Reeves, who took over directorial duties from Ben Affleck earlier this year.
Getting back to Deathstroke, though, and assuming ComicBook.com’s report holds true, this would surely ground the Gareth Evans-directed spinoff within the DC Extended Universe – unlike, say, the planned Joker origins movie, which is said to be a standalone project based on the Clown Prince of Crime. Without any official confirmation from Warner, though, chalk this up as innocent conjecture for now.
Pending some final negotiations, Gareth Evans and Joe Manganiello have been handed the keys to the Deathstroke solo movie at Warner Bros., and even if Batman is left on the sidelines, we can’t wait to see what the pair produce in a few years’ time.