Following on from the news – with the source being none other than Ben Affleck himself – that Deathstroke would be appearing in the upcoming Batman solo movie, we now have confirmation of who will be playing the notorious DC Comics mercenary, thanks to the Wall Street Journal, with Slade Wilson’s civilian identity being none other than Joe Manganiello.
With the news apparently broken by DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns, it seems like DC are hewing very close to previous incarnations of the character: looks and physique-wise, there’s not a lot to separate Manganiello from The CW’s version of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in Arrow, played by the similar-looking Manu Bennett. Considering how popular his take on the character was, it’s a sensible move by Warner Bros.
As for Manganiello himself, it’s a role we can definitely see him in. He was consistently good value for money in True Blood as werewolf Alcide Herveaux, and he definitely looks like he can take care of himself. In addition to roles in One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother and Magic Mike, he also has prior comic-book experience under his belt from playing Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man movie, making him the latest actor to cross the Marvel/DC divide. For his part he seems happy about the news, even tweeting about the original story below:
It's on…https://t.co/tB0gjRf6pc
— Joe Manganiello (@JoeManganiello) September 8, 2016
Manganiello joins a cast that currently counts Ben Affleck as the only other confirmed cast member, although we can safely assume that Jeremy Irons will be back as Alfred Pennyworth, and that JK Simmons will reprise his role as Commissioner Jim Gordon from Justice League.
A release date for the untitled Batman solo movie is yet to be announced. You can download The 25 Greatest DC Comics Ever digital edition from GreatDigitalMags.com now. For all the latest movie news, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
