Joe Manganiello's solo Deathstroke movie is in limbo despite DC's hype-machine
Back in 2017, when DC was stirring all the buzz, anticipation ran high over a particular villain-centric storyline - Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. The chatter was further strengthened by the post-credit scenes of Justice League, which not only teased an all-villain team-up with footage of Deathstroke and Lex Luthor but also revealed Joe Manganiello's addition to DC's roster of antagonists.
Many a month has passed since then, and with the passing time, the Deathstroke talks seem to have died a gradual death. Neither the studio nor the actor has revealed any further information about the fate of the movie, unfailingly raising doubts about Manganiello's DC debut.
Most recently though, director Gareth Evans - better known for helming the action flick 'The Raid' - dished some information about his upcoming projects. The filmmaker, however, made no mention of any Deathstroke responsibilities.
"Going straight into production on a TV show soon in UK, that will keep me busy making general mayhem til 2020 then looking at making a bunch of films in Wales for the foreseeable future," shared Evans while answering fan questions on Instagram. The exchange was prompted by the director himself after he shared a picture of Mark Lewis Jones from the set of The Apostle.
Alongside the photo, he wrote: "Just over a year ago we wrapped on #Apostle and now barring some QC checks, my work on it is complete. So excited to be sharing this film with you all this year, promo materials are likely to start sneaking out around August so until then I give you this snap I took of the enormously talented Mark Lewis Jones "relaxing" on set."
Of course, his picture or his answer about his upcoming projects has got nothing to do with Deathstroke but it is nevertheless disappointing for DC fans. It is because Evans was associated with the Deathstroke movie in the past. And according to him, he is not scheduled to direct any superhero project until 2020.
Whether he deliberately maintained his silence about the Manganiello-starrer, only time can tell. But, going just by his answer, it appears the fate of Deathstroke might be in limbo.
Manganiello's addition in the anti-hero film was first teased during 2017's Justice League, where in the post-credit scenes the hunky actor made an eye-catching appearance, much to the surprise of fans.
"They wanted to intro Slade at the end of JL...Jon Berg googled Deathstroke, saw Bosslogic's fanart of Joe as Slade...and he got the offer," the actor had dished about him landing the role, as per Comic Book.