While this isn’t actually gaming news it’s cool news, nonetheless. Director of The Raid, Gareth Evans, is reportedly in negotiations with Warner Bros., and DC to write and direct a solo film starring Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke.
The news was exclusively reported by The Wrap, who learned that Evans is in early discussions right now.
Supposedly Deathstroke was supposed to appear as the villain in The Batman back when Ben Affleck was supposed to write and direct the flick, but that got all kinds of ugly when Ben dropped out of the director’s chair for whatever reason. Now we have no idea if Deathstroke is still supposed to appear as the villain in The Batman or if Ben Affleck is even still attached.
At this rate it could be possible that a Deathstroke film could end up happening before the next solo Batman flick. Not that I would complain, I mean the Nolan films are still great cinema and DC hasn’t really been able to top them yet.
The Wrap noted that Affleck had posted up 27 seconds of test footage of Manganiello in the full Deathstroke getup walking towards the camera. Joe actually looks legitimately badass in the full gear and was most certainly the perfect choice for the character.
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016
The thing is, not only is Joe the perfect choice for the character but Gareth Evans is the perfect choice for the director. All across social media a bunch of fans were absolutely geeked out about the idea of Deathstroke slicing, dicing, and shooting his way through a warehouse or stairwell full of baddies. Heck, the action sequences practically write themselves.
Anyway, hopefully the negotiations work out and Evans lands the gig for a hard-R action flick. It’s the only way it can be done right. Unlike Marvel, DC has an opportunity to balls up and put some money into the coffers of a director who knows how to make a good action film. While DC has more missteps than hits these days, at least they’re willing to branch out and try something new (for better or for worse).
