Ben Affleck Wanted Batman Solo Movie To Include Arkham Games Style Deathstroke Fight

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Ben Affleck was influenced by the Arkham Asylum games in designing the action of his planned Batman solo movie. With just over a week left before the HBO Max debut of Zack Snyder's Justice League, the anticipation for the film's release is also converging with a sense of longing by many fans of what it could have led to had the movie not been so heavily altered in its 2017 theatrical release. One of the biggest examples of this is what Ben Affleck's Batman film would have looked like, and what role Deathstroke would have played as its villain.  

 

Affleck abdicated directing duties for The Batman in 2017 before stepping down from playing the Dark Knight altogether in early 2019, with Matt Reeves stepping into the director's chair and Robert Pattinson assuming the role of Bruce Wayne. Following the Snyder Cut's announcement in May 2020, Affleck subsequently signed on to return to the role in the Multiverse-exploring The Flash, and also returned for additional photography on the Snyder Cut this past fall, as did Manganiello. As for what Affleck had in store with his Batman movie before his departure, details have begun to trickle out, and it ironically relates to Deadpool director Tim Miller.

 

In an interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Manganiello said that Affleck was influenced by Batman: Arkham Origins in his approach to the film's action, stating he and Affleck watched the "Arkham Origins Deathstroke versus Batman [promotional] video," which was directed by Miller, with Affleck and Manganiello discussing "how that was going to relate to the action sequences." Manganiello further stated that this also involved a discussion of "one big action piece and what that was going to entail."

 

This isn't the first time Manganiello has offered details about what Affleck's Batman movie would have been like. Manganiello previously stated that the story would have involved Slade Wilson "dismantling Bruce's life from the inside out," also revealing that Slade "killed everyone close to Bruce and destroyed his life," with Manganiello likening Affleck's story to David Fincher's 1997 thriller The Game. Additionally, there were also plans for a Deathstroke solo movie, which would have been helmed by Gareth Evans, but this ended up falling by the wayside (though Manganiello has expressed hope for it to be resurrected in the wake of the Snyder Cut's debut).  

 

Arkham Origins' famed Batman and Deathstroke smackdown video drove excitement for the game through the roof ahead of its debut, so it makes sense that Affleck would look to it as an influence in the action of his Batman movie. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice itself set a very high bar for Batman fight scenes with the film's warehouse battle, and Affleck would surely have wanted to maintain that caliber of action in his solo movie. Furthermore, with none other than Gareth Evans, director of The Raid movies, to have tackled Slade's movie, it sounds like audiences were in some for some seriously incredible action scenes between the two.  

 

With both Affleck and Manganiello having come back for the Snyder Cut's additional filming, fans will get to see them share the screen at last. Millions of fans will surely hope for Affleck's Batman solo movie to get a second chance to come to fruition on HBO Max in light of Manganiello's revelations. For the time being, however, their appearance together in the Knightmare future will be the closest thing to it.