Affleck had initially planned an action-packed movie with Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke
The Batman director Matt Reeves recently revealed some details from Ben Affleck’s abandoned Batman movie. Affleck had signed in to play the Caped Crusader in 2013, and had plans with Warner Bros. to write, direct, and star in his own solo Batman movie. Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello was meant to be the main villain. However, due to various circumstances, Affleck had to abandon the movie and will soon make his exit from the role.
Reeves’ interview
In an interview with Esquire, Reeves said that Warner Bros. had initially sent him the script that Affleck had developed. Reeves called it a valid take on the Dark Knight, but it was not the kind of Batman movie he had in mind. He then pitched his own take to the studio, which was to be its own universe and not part of the DCEU.
Reeves said that Affleck’s script was similar to that of a James Bond film and was very action-driven. It was deeply connected to the DCEU and had planned for other major DC characters to pop up. He immediately realized that he was not the right fit, and explained to Warner that if he were to do this, he has to make it personal. We already know from previous interviews that Reeves had been granted 100% creative freedom for The Batman.
Affleck’s plans
After Affleck’s project fell apart, we got to know what the actor had planned. His movie was heavily inspired by the Arkham games, and Manganiello later revealed that Deathstroke would kill a famous Batman character. The movie was originally meant to introduce Batgirl, which is now a separate movie being made for HBO Max. The movie was also meant to include other Justice League members as a possible tie-up to Zack Snyder’s plans for the second and third films.
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