Joe Manganiello has shared more of the plot of Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman film, and the new details make it a busy one: Deathstroke killing Commissioner Gordon, taking Alfred hostage and fighting Batman through Gotham in an Arkham-inspired finale. The details come from his memoir Bloodlines, which IGN reports draws on excerpts shared by Entertainment Weekly. The actor was cast as Slade Wilson before the DCEU gave way to the DCU.
The premise isn’t new. Manganiello describes Affleck’s pitch as “a superhero version of David Fincher’s The Game“, with Deathstroke out to “dismantle Batman’s entire life”. What the book adds is the motive: as MovieWeb notes, Slade had been led to believe Batman murdered his son. The film’s plan for that revenge is where the memoir gets specific.
Gordon dies, Alfred is taken, Batgirl joins in
According to Manganiello, Deathstroke breaks into the Batcave and takes Alfred Pennyworth hostage, most likely Jeremy Irons’ version from the DCEU films. He also kills Jim Gordon, presumably J.K. Simmons’ take on the commissioner. Slashfilm reads Gordon’s death as the reason Batgirl is in the story at all, since Barbara Gordon would have a personal stake in stopping her father’s killer. That’s the outlet’s inference rather than something the book states.
A midpoint fight sees Deathstroke nearly kill both Batman and Batgirl before the pair “escape via an aboveground train”, the excerpt says. The memoir doesn’t name who would have played Batgirl. Men’s Journal points out that Leslie Grace played the character in the scrapped Batgirl film, so she’s a possibility, but that remains speculation.
An Arkham-style finale
The film was to end with a “climactic one-on-one showdown through the streets of Gotham”, Manganiello writes. Affleck reportedly told him it would take its cue from a CGI fight sequence in an Arkham video game. IGN suggests the likely reference is the snowy shipyard brawl between Deathstroke and Batman in the first Batman: Arkham Origins trailer, though the book’s wording doesn’t settle which one.
Manganiello says he liked what he heard. He told Affleck he was looking forward to his “Best Picture version of a Batman movie”, pointing to The Town. When he raised how much Affleck would be taking on by writing, directing, producing and starring, Affleck reportedly said he knew, but that Manganiello was “in good hands”.
Affleck’s film never got made. It was reworked into Matt Reeves’ The Batman with Robert Pattinson, released in 2022. Manganiello has spoken about the fallout in recent days, including how the Deathstroke offer helped him through a near-fatal illness and how losing the film left him devastated. IGN notes that DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are still developing The Brave and the Bold and The Batman Part 2.
Would Deathstroke have been the main villain in Ben Affleck’s Batman film?
Yes. Manganiello’s memoir describes Deathstroke as the lead antagonist, targeting Bruce Wayne’s life and allies after believing Batman killed his son.
Who would have played Batgirl in Affleck’s Batman movie?
The memoir doesn’t say. Leslie Grace played Batgirl in the separate canceled Batgirl film, but nothing confirms she’d have appeared in Affleck’s version.
Is Ben Affleck’s Batman movie still happening?
No. The project was canceled and reworked into The Batman with Robert Pattinson, and no revival has been announced.
