Manganiello Given Up On Deathstroke

For some time there, Joe Manganiello was set to be a big part of the DCEU films as Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke).

The actor showed up briefly in a post-credit scene in “Justice League,” and even as Warners seemed to scuttle its DCEU plans he remained attached to the part in a potential Ben Affleck “Batman” film and then a solo “Deathstroke” film from director Gareth Evans.

Of course, things changed with Matt Reeves in charge of a whole different “Batman” interpretation while the Snyder-verse version of the DC Universe is essentially defunct beyond more standalone-style “Wonder Woman,” “The Flash” and “Aquaman” films.

In a new interview with Coming Soon, Manganiello was asked if he held out hope of returning to the Deathstroke role at some point to which he responded: “No, I let that go a while ago.”

The quote comes as Warners seems keen to ramp up its DC Comics adaptation again and smaller titles, like a solo “Deathstroke” film, would seemingly be perfect for a direct-to-HBO Max arrangement being employed on the upcoming “Batgirl” and “Static Shock” films.