Batman might be the World's Greatest Detective, but his fans are pretty skilled in investigation, too. Soon after Ben Affleck, our present-day Batman, teased the arrival of Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, in the DC Extended Universe via a cryptic video, some fans figured out that Joe Manganiello, the actor who is best known for portraying Alcide Herveaux in True Blood and Big Dick Richie in the Magic Mike movies, was the most likely to play the part.
They relied on two facts to reach such a conclusion. Firstly, when Affleck shared the video, Manganiello was in London, where Justice League has been filming for a while. Secondly, he had only just started following Zack Snyder on Twitter.
At that point, there wasn't enough evidence for everyone to be convinced that Manganiello would play Deathstroke. But now, there is no doubt about it, as Geoff Johns, the co-head of DC Films, has himself confirmed the casting.
While speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Johns revealed that we will see Manganiello as the deadliest mercenary and assassin in the DCEU installment that is being penned by him and Affleck, the untitled Batman standalone movie. Affleck will also helm the movie. Its release date is yet to be announced, but we shouldn't expect it any sooner than 2018.
Johns doesn’t disclose whether Deathstroke will appear in Justice League ahead of the Batman solo movie! (Photo Credit – DCEU Wikia)
Deathstroke as the big baddie in the Batman movie is something suggested by a report that surfaced on the web just hours after the arrival of Affleck's video. But many assumed that the supervillain would be introduced in Zack Snyder's Justice League, at least with a cameo. However, Geoff Johns wouldn't say a word about it, declining to comment.
Deathstroke won't be the first comic book character for Joe Manganiello. The 39-year-old actor played Flash Thompson in the first and third installments of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. But of course, Deathstroke is a far more significant character than Flash Thompson.
