{
  "id": 15487105,
  "title": "Joe Manganiello Says Ben Affleck’s Scrapped Batman Film Would Have Seen Deathstroke ‘Dismantle Batman’s Entire Life’ and Kill Commissioner Gordon",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/joe-manganiello-says-ben-afflecks-scrapped-batman-film-would-have",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T20:12:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Variety",
    "slug": "variety",
    "url": "https://variety.com/2026/film/news/joe-manganiello-ben-afflecks-batman-film-deathstroke-1236915997/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "In his new memoir, Bloodlines, actor Joe Manganiello has shared details regarding the plot of the scrapped Ben Affleck Batman film. Manganiello, who was cast as the villain Deathstroke, describes the unproduced movie as a superhero version of David Fincher’s The Game. According to Polygon, the story would have centered on Deathstroke attempting to dismantle Batman's entire life following the death of his son, Jericho.\n\nPolygon reports that the film's plot would have included the kidnapping of Alfred and the murder of Commissioner Gordon, played by J.K. Simmons. The actor also claims that Batgirl would have appeared in the film and that a mid-movie fight would have seen Deathstroke nearly kill the heroes before they escaped via train. The movie was intended to culminate in a brutal fight between Batman and Deathstroke inspired by the Batman: Arkham Origins trailer.\n\nVariety notes that Affleck was attached to the project as a writer, director, and producer. The film never materialized because Affleck stepped back from directing for personal reasons.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Polygon",
        "title": "Deathstroke Actor Reveals Scrapped Batman Film Would've Featured Batgirl And A Shocking Death",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/deathstroke-actor-reveals-scrapped-batman-film-wouldve-featured",
        "published": "2026-10-18T15:30:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}