How Joe Manganiello Let Go of His Grudge After Losing Superman to Cavill & Deathstroke: “James Gunn was just like, Let it go”

As a seasoned gamer with a knack for DC Universe trivia, I can’t help but marvel at Joe Manganiello’s journey in the DCEU. It’s like a rollercoaster ride of near misses and eventual triumphs, all while keeping the audience on their toes.


I, Joe Manganiello, made my entrance as Deathstroke in the after-movie sequence of the 2017 blockbuster Justice League. In this extra scene, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) crossed paths on a luxurious yacht. Luthor subtly suggested creating a league of baddies, hinting at an enticing alliance between us villains.

Did you realize that while fans admired Manganiello’s performance as Deathstroke, he was previously a potential choice for the Superman role before Henry Cavill took it on?

According to Snyder, Manganiello lacked the innocence that Cavill possessed.

By the way, I also have fond feelings for Joe. In truth, apart from Henry, Joe was the only one I had in mind. I believe Henry possesses a certain innocence, and it’s quite intricate. Superman could use a touch of that as well.

It took several years for Manganiello to return to the DC Extended Universe after not getting the role, and he openly stated that he didn’t brood over not playing Superman. Instead, he was looking forward to collaborating with Affleck on the solo Batman film.

Originally, he hoped I’d play Superman in a film, but it didn’t work out for me. Later on, Zack Snyder reached out again and invited me to meet Ben Affleck, which is how we connected, and eventually led to my role as Deathstroke in Ben’s Batman movie.

Initially, Deathstroke was planned to be the antagonist in Ben Affleck’s adaptation of The Batman, with Affleck taking on both directing and acting roles. The storyline would have depicted Deathstroke relentlessly disrupting Batman’s life. However, this concept failed to materialize as Affleck chose not to direct, leading the project to transform into Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022), featuring Robert Pattinson in a new take on the character, set outside of the DCEU continuity.

Even with this obstacle, Manganiello’s ambition to join the DC movie realm remained undeterred. He penned his own Deathstroke script, which sparked some intrigue at Warner Bros., but the studio eventually chose to reboot the DC Universe instead. After almost a decade, Manganiello disclosed that James Gunn persuaded him to relinquish control over the project. Earlier on, DC hinted at a possible return to their earlier cinematic universes, implying they might revisit them in the future.

James [Gunn] is my buddy, and James and I had a conversation about it because Jim lee over at DC Comics wanted me to create a graphic novel series based on the screenplay that I wrote for the Deathstroke origin film that, when they were dismantling the DCEU, that went to the wayside as well, Jim read it, and wanted it to be a graphic novel series, but no one could assure me that, if it garnered the attention of directors and producers, that I couldn’t be attached. So I had to let it go. James Gunn was just like, ‘Let it go.

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2024-08-16 10:13