One of the movies that many DC fans wish they got to see made was Ben Affleck’s solo Batman film. Because of the changes that took place at Warner Bros. and the DCEU at the time, it unfortunately never made it past the early phases of development. But a new book from Joe Manganiello reveals new details that give DC fans insight into what the DCEU Batman movie would have been like.
During an interview where he spoke with Entertainment Weekly, Joe Manganiello shared excerpts from his new book Bloodlines. In the book, Joe gives details about being cast as Deathstroke in the Warner Bros. Justice League film, as well as what was planned for the Batman film. The story would have Deathstroke looking for revenge on Batman, after being led to believe the hero killed his son.
A big fight scene between Batman and Deathstroke would have been inspired by the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, and would have been made with CGI. The fight would have taken place in the streets of Gotham City, and would have been one of the climatic moments of the movie. “It sounded good to me. I told Ben how great I thought his films were, especially The Town, and how I was really looking forward to seeing his Best Picture version of a Batman movie.”
Joe Manganiello also mentions in the book that Ben Affleck was aiming to have his Batman film comparable to the David Fincher film, The Game. Deathstroke would have been trying to completely dismantle Batman’s life in various ways. Extra details on the movie included J.K. Simmons appeared as Commissioner Gordon, who would have been killed by Deathstroke during the story.
Batgirl was also planned to appear in the film alongside Batman, although Joe’s book does not mention who would have played the character. While Batgirl never officially appeared in any film that was released, Leslie Grace played the character in the cancelled Batgirl movie, which included Michael Keaton’s return as Batman. J.K. Simmons was also Commissioner Gordon in it as well, so it’s possible Leslie would have been Batgirl in Ben Affleck’s movie too.
Ben Affleck’s Batman film was cancelled in 2020, after the actor had been attached to the project since 2016. His final appearance in the DCEU as Batman was in The Flash, right before the DCEU was shelved for a complete reboot of the universe from Warner Bros.
