Warner Bros. is reportedly going forward with a feature length Deathstroke film and has recently tapped The Raid and The Raid 2 director Gareth Evans to direct it.
Evans, who is still in early talks, would write and direct the solo film. Joe Manganiello (True Blood) would star as the title character, a casting announcement that was disclosed back when Deathstroke was said to be appearing in Ben Affleck’s The Batman. It has not yet been confirmed whether he’ll appear in the new Batman standalone in addition to the Deathstroke film now that Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) has taken over directing duties from Affleck, but it seems unlikely.
Deathstroke, who was also played by Manu Bennet in CW's Arrow, was first introduced in the comics in the New Teen Titans run in 1980. The character — Slade Wilson — is a deadly assassin, more typically seen as an anti-hero or even a villain rather than as one of the good guys.
Evans made his breakout in 2011 with the first Raid movie. He also had a segment in
V / H / S / 2, and is currently working on a thriller starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen called Apostle that’s said to hit theaters in 2018.
The announcement comes in the wake of DC’s new and unpredictable line-up, the company saying they’re going to be focusing more on spin-off films that aren’t actually apart of their extended universe — such as a Joker standalone movie. Where Deathstroke fits into all of this isn’t entirely clear at this moment.
However, Evans seems like a natural fit for a Deathstroke film. Manganiello as Deathstroke makes perfect sense and this gives Warner Bros. an opportunity to make their own Deadpool — with less jokes and even more bloodshed. Given Evan’s intense style of shooting action, this could work. As long as they give us some kind of scene like this one from The Raid 2 somewhere in there:
No release date or any further news on a Deathstroke film, or the character himself, has yet to be announced. DC’s next film, Justice League, hits theaters on Nov. 17.