Sarah O'Donell
Joe Manganiello reveals that James Gunn advised him to abandon the idea of a Deathstroke origin movie.
In a conversation with ComicBook.com, Manganiello shared that Gunn, who shares the helm at DC Studios with Peter Safran, doesn’t seem to have any intention of bringing to life the screenplay Manganiello penned for a Deathstroke origin film.
“James [Gunn] is a good friend of mine, and we had a chat about it. Jim Lee from DC Comics wanted me to develop a graphic novel series based on the screenplay I wrote for the Deathstroke origin film. However, when the DCEU was being dismantled, that idea was shelved,” Manganiello explained. “Jim loved the idea of a graphic novel series, but there was no guarantee that, even if it caught the eye of directors and producers, I would be involved. So, I had to let it go. James Gunn simply said, ‘Let it go.’”
Joe Manganiello, Deathstroke, and DC
Manganiello had a brief stint as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). He was initially slated to have a more significant role in a DCEU Batman movie alongside Ben Affleck, but the film never materialized as the DCEU concluded with 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Now, Gunn and Safran are reviving the franchise with a fresh DCU.
The new DCU is set to launch later this year with an animated series called Creature Commandos. Gunn is also at the helm of a new Superman movie, Superman: Legacy, featuring a star-studded cast including David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Skyler Gisondo, María Gabriela de Faría, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Sara Sampaio, and Anthony Carrigan.
As of now, there’s no official word on whether Deathstroke will make an appearance in the upcoming DCU. However, in December 2022, Gunn intriguingly tweeted “could be…” in response to a query about the character’s inclusion in the universe.
