It certainly hasn't been an easy road for Warner Bros. and Ben Affleck in regards to their upcoming standalone Batman film, but I've got my fingers crossed that we've passed by most of the sizeable bumps already. The project has definitely had its share of ups and downs, but now that Matt Reeves (WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) has officially signed on to replace Affleck as director, the work can proceed uninterrupted on what will hopefully be a great Batman movie.
Joe Manganiello (MAGIC MIKE) will be playing Deathstroke in THE BATMAN, and the actor recently spoke with Robert Irvine Magazine where he gave an update on the status of the film amid all the rumours that there's been trouble behind the scenes.
Last year, I said [it would shoot in] May and that was my understanding. It depends. They have big plans for this movie. Whether or not we start exactly on that date or in June, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Here’s the thing: The creative process needs to be respected and no one involved in this film wants to make anything less than an unbelievable film, a legendary film. The movie will start shooting whenever those pieces are in place and we know this is gonna be something that we’re proud of. What we’re not gonna do is be backed into a start date, scrambling to get something off the ground just to get it off the ground. Everyone involved wants to make this the best film possible, so that’s really what it’s about. It’s funny how the media likes to run with, “Oh there’s trouble!” “Oh, the script needs to be revised!” They’re drama queens. There’s a creative process, and everyone on the cast and crew wants to make this the best movie possible. So that’s what we’re gonna do. When we start shooting it, we’ll start shooting it. It will be soon, I can say that. Here’s the thing: No one wants to create that superhero movie that’s polarizing to fans and critics. Rest assured, we’re gonna do this thing right.
I'd absolutely hate to see THE BATMAN rushed into production just because Warner Bros. has a open slot on their schedule, so I'm hoping that Manganiello is correct in stating that the film won't get going until everyone is happy. Even though the shoot may still be a ways off, Joe Manganiello has already started training to make sure that he'll be able to give us the very best Deathstroke he can.
My trainer and I have started putting together some workouts that are specific to the character and how I want the character to move. It’s an incredibly athletic role so all of the training is very functional. I’ve also started Kung fu and chi gung training, and I’ve also started working with katanas. I’m gonna be ready.
We've got two DCEU flicks on the slate this year, with WONDER WOMAN opening on June 2, 2017 and JUSTICE LEAGUE following on November 17, 2017. I can't wait.