Joe Manganiello doesn't seem too happy about The Batman
Ben Affleck may have categorically denied rumours he was quitting as Batman after ‘Justice League,’ but there still remains much uncertainty around his planned DC Extended Universe solo movie ‘The Batman.’
Beyond Affleck and returing DCEU actors Jeremy Irons (Alfred) and JK Simmons (Commissioner Gordon, making his debut in ‘Justice League’), the only new actor attached to ‘The Batman’ thus far has been Joe Manganiello, who was announced as villain Deathstroke back in September 2016.
However, a lot has happened on ‘The Batman’ since then. Affleck was initially attached as director and co-writer, before deciding to step back from the big chair to focus on his performance. Subsequently Matt Reeves was hired to take over as director – and, as was recently announced, he will be starting from scratch, completely throwing out the original screenplay by Affleck and Geoff Johns.
This naturally raises the question of whether or not Manganiello’s Deathstroke is still a part of ‘The Batman,’ and if so whether it’s as big a part as it was initially intended to be.
Manganiello has been asked about this by The Hollywood Reporter – and, while his answer is fairly standard Hollywood diplomacy, the 40-year old actor doesn’t seem entirely happy with the situation.
Asked whether he has any info on the current status of ‘The Batman,’ Manganiello replies, “I don’t. Well, I do but nothing that I can share. I know everything but I can’t say any of it.”
When THR remark they can’t quite tell whether he’s ‘happy’ or ‘downtrodden’ about this, the actor remarks, “I’m shooting for a neutral tone.”
Beyond this, Manganiello stresses it’s “not up to me” when news about ‘The Batman’ will come out: “That’s a good question for Warner Bros and DC.”
While Manganiello’s remarks don’t tell us much in themselves, they’re naturally liable to whip up speculation. The actor makes it clear that he knows plenty we don’t, but for the time being we just have to wait until the studio make any official announcements on the matter.
‘The Batman’ is one among a number of films Warner Bros/DC officially announced at last week’s San Diego Comic Con, others including ‘Wonder Woman 2,’ ‘Suicide Squad 2,’ ‘Batgirl’ and ‘Flashpoint.’ However, none of these films – ‘The Batman’ included – has a release date set at present.
Joe Manganiello will next be seen in ‘Drunk Parents’ alongside Salma Hayek and Alec Baldwin, and in 2018 he co-stars with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in ‘Rampage.’
Meanwhile, the DCEU continues with ‘Justice League,’ opening 17 November.
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