The DCEU is currently in the stage of transformation as the franchise embraces the concept of the multiverse moving forward. Despite that, original projects from the Snyderverse era may have already reached their end, with Zack Snyder's Justice League serving as the last hurrah of the core storyline that the director is trying to fulfill.
One of the aforementioned projects from the Snyderverse that didn't see the light of day was Ben Affleck's solo film as Batman . The movie was supposed to follow the crime-fighting history of the seasoned DC veteran in Gotham while also doing a deep dive into the character's inner struggle of becoming a hero.
Now, one of the original cast members has revealed an interesting tidbit about the scrapped plans for the movie.
BATGIRL'S ORIGINAL DCEU DEBUT REVEALED
Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello recently sat down with the Phase Zero podcast from Comicbook.com to talk about the DCEU, and one of the topics that were discussed is the originally planned Batman film from Ben Affleck.
In the interview, Manganiello revealed that Batgirl was supposed to make her DCEU debut in the film, where the hero “jumps in to try and help Bruce [Wayne]” against Deathstroke.
“There was like a big huge showdown, I think between Batgirl...Batgirl jumps in to try and help Bruce because Deathstroke is so fast. He can anticipate Bruce's movements.”
The actor then shared that the Caped Crusader is “completely afraid” of Deathstroke because “he met someone who can take him.” After that, Manganiello described Affleck's Batman film as a “real-life psychological thriller:”
“There was this huge fight in Gotham City where Batman is completely afraid because he met someone who can take him, and that leads to this big climactic battle through the streets of Gotham in the end. It's like a real-life psychological thriller with Deathstroke. He was like a horror movie, like a shark, kind of like Jaws.”
A BATMAN AND BATGIRL DCEU TEAM-UP
Many would agree that the scrapped Batman solo film from Ben Affleck would have been interesting, and this latest reveal from Manganiello is a testament to that claim.
In many ways, seeing Batgirl team-up with the Caped Crusader against Deathstroke would have been a visual treat, and it is unfortunate that this moment will not be revisited anytime soon.
At this stage, it's no secret that Batgirl's DCEU debut has been a long time coming, and showcasing the character in the planned solo movie from Affleck makes narrative sense. Given the seasoned veteran status of the Dark Knight in this universe, there is a good chance that Batgirl is not the only protector that Gotham has during the film's narrative, but adding the character to the project goes to show the hero's importance as a member of the Bat-family.
Manganiello's description of Affleck's Batman film as a “psychological thriller” fits the previous teases from those crew members who were supposed to be involved in the project.
Considering that the Snyder Cut showed that Lex Luthor gave the secret identity of Batman to Deathstroke, it would have been interesting to witness the emotional turmoil a plot point like this would put onto Gotham's hero. This is on top of action-packed sequences involving the two characters, especially after the impressive portrayal of Affleck in previous DCEU entries.
Whatever the case, Affleck's Dark Knight has been confirmed to return in Ezra Miller's The Flash , and it is possible that some elements of the scrapped solo project would be featured in some form during his appearance.
As for Batgirl, there are two versions that will soon debut in the live-action realm of DC. Savannah Welch will portray Barbara Gordon in Titans Season 3 while it was revealed in a previous report that HBO Max is leaning towards introducing the character in a potential solo project.
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