Concept art featuring Deathstroke from Ben Affleck’s shelved version of The Batman was revealed.
Before Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson signed on to bring a new vision of Gotham City to life in The Batman, Ben Affleck was originally set to direct a standalone film for his version of the Caped Crusader that made his debut in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film was set to have Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, which was set up in the ending of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Ultimately, Ben Affleck parted ways with The Batman, both stepping down from the director’s chair, and allowing Matt Reeves to do a whole page 1 rewrite depicting a younger Bruce Wayne separate from the ongoing DCEU canon. However, this hasn’t stopped fans from wanting to see how Deathstroke would’ve been portrayed, with some holding out hope to see Joe Manganiello return as the character in the future.
Artist Keith Christensen revealed on his official Instagram some concept art of Deathstroke’s helmet, which was planned for Ben Affleck’s The Batman. As you can tell, both Ben Affleck and Matt Reeves had completely different visions for what the first standalone Batman film since The Dark Knight Rises would be, and this Deathstroke concept art gives us yet another fascinating case of “What if?”
You can check out the Deathstroke concept art from Ben Affleck’s The Batman down below:
Although Ben Affleck’s vision for The Batman featuring Deathstroke was ultimately scrapped, audiences can check out Matt Reeves’ new film that features Robert Pattinson in the titular role. Here is the synopsis for the film:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, with Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and Barry Keoghan as The Joker.
The Batman is now playing in theaters. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of Deathstroke as well as Ben Affleck’s upcoming return in The Flash, and subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Instagram
