We finally got our first proper look at Denis Villeneuve’s Dune yesterday, with Vanity Fair serving up a glimpse at almost all of the major cast members in full costume. The shots showed off Villeneuve’s take on Frank Herbert’s classic science-fiction novel and bode well for its December 2020 release. But one photograph in particular has been turning heads.
It shows Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides in full battle gear. Isaac is bearded, glancing at the camera and positively bristling with raw sexual energy. But digital creator BossLogic saw something beyond a guy looking great in costume. In fact, he saw a damn near perfect Deathstroke.
It’s hard to deny that Isaac would knock Deathstroke out of the park, especially if he was in armor like this. But sadly for us, it seems a Deathstroke movie may be some way off. Cruelly, we got a taste of it in the post-credits scene of 2017’s maligned theatrical cut of Justice League, which showed Lex Luthor meeting with Deathstroke, as played by Joe Manganiello. The two twirl their figurative moustaches and hint at “forming a league of their own.”
If Justice League had been a success, then this would have been a hint that the sequels would have featured the Legion of Doom. But Justice League wasn’t a hit, and since then, Warner Bros have been eager that we forget it ever happened.
Its failure was probably the reason why The Raid director Gareth Evans’ solo movie for the character never made it out of development. As such, cool pieces of fan art like this are the only way we’ll be able to picture Deathstroke on the big screen for now. But hey, if Warner Bros. are ever looking for someone to play the role, then Isaac’s agent should get on the line to them.