{
  "id": 15286908,
  "title": "Joe Manganiello just goes ahead and says all the cool bad guy stuff he would have done in Ben Affleck's Batman movie",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/joe-manganiello-just-goes-ahead-and-says-all-the-cool-bad-guy-stuff",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-17T19:46:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/joe-manganiello-ben-affleck-batman-movie-details"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Joe Manganiello, who was slated to play the villain Deathstroke in Ben Affleck's Batman movie, has decided to reveal all the thrilling roles he would have portrayed, according to Entertainment Weekly. Manganiello's character, Slade Wilson, would have orchestrated a superhero version of David Fincher's The Game, sabotaging Bruce Wayne's life and ultimately leading to the downfall of the Bat. This would have involved eliminating J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon, holding Alfred hostage, and engaging in a conflict with Batgirl. The actor expressed his excitement about these plans but inquired about Affleck's decision to take on such a massive undertaking, given his personal struggles with alcohol. Affleck reportedly reassured Manganiello that he was in capable hands.",
  "summary": "Joe Manganiello just goes ahead and reveals all the cool bad guy stuff he would have done as Deathstroke in Ben Affleck's canceled Batman movie.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IGN",
        "title": "Ben Affleck's Batman Movie Would Have Featured Arkham Asylum-Inspired Deathstroke Fight and DCEU Batgirl, Joe Manganiello Reveals",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/ben-afflecks-batman-movie-would-have-featured-arkham-asylum-inspired",
        "published": "2026-10-17T18:58:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}