This week brought with it the news that DC are adding yet another movie onto their slate – Joe Manganiello will be starring as Slade Wilson in a Deathstroke solo film from director Gareth Evans. This is no doubt encouraging to hear for fans of the popular supervillain, as the character’s future in the DCEU had been in doubt for the past few months. It’s even better news for Manganiello, though, and it looks like the actor can’t wait to don the character’s orange/black helmet in his own film.
In the wake of the solo movie’s announcement, he took to Twitter to share a very cryptic tease. Without a caption, the Magic Mike star simply posted a close-up snap of the assassin’s helmet, which has seemingly sustained a lot of damage around the eye.
Manganiello was originally cast in the role last year, with the promise that he’d be the main antagonist of Ben Affleck’s The Batman. Once Big Ben gave up the director’s chair for Matt Reeves, however, Deathstroke’s importance in the project was thought to have been reduced to practically nothing. Likewise, his rumoured cameo in Justice League has probably been removed thanks to Joss Whedon’s reshoots. So, it’s nice that we finally have some positive news on the Deathstroke front, then.
Manganiello’s post isn’t the only hint we got about the movie, though. Gareth Evans shared something on Instagram a few days ago, before the news of his involvement went public, that could indicate his inspiration for the film. He revealed that he was reading Deathstroke: Gods of War, a 2015 comic book storyline which would make a great blueprint for a pic starring the character.
Gods of War features Deathstroke facing off against an enigmatic foe named Odysseus, who knows things about a top secret mission from Slade’s past that even he doesn’t know about, due to having his memory wiped. To combat the villain, Deathstroke has to go on a quest to recover his broken mind. A movie version could be like a superhero take on Christopher Nolan’s Memento, and there’d also be roles for Batman and Harley Quinn.
Deathstroke doesn’t have a release date just yet, but up next for DC is Justice League, which hits cinemas on November 17th.