The Batman movie will take "a road that no one's really gone down," says Deathstroke actor

The Batman movie is happening. While official details remain limited, there's plenty of rumors to keep us going: it's reportedly arriving in a year and a half, will feature oodles of baddies, and plans to be a proper detective story.  

It's also expected that alongside Ben Affleck's brooding crusader will be JK Simmons' Commissioner Gordon. There's got to be a bad guy - c'mon, this is a superhero movie - which is where Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke comes in. The villain got his own special teaser earlier this year, and the actor has now revealed a little of what we can expect from his portrayal. 

"When I met Ben we sat down and we talked about, you know, the role. We talked about the movie. His take is a fresh take but I think the audience is going to be surprised. Because it’s a road that no one’s really gone down that’s completely integral to, you know, who Batman is," Manganiello said on Mark Madden's podcast.  

A road that no-one's gone down, eh? Tell us more, Deathstroke...

"I think it’s gonna be refreshing but at the same time completely familiar. But it’s going to take this franchise in a direction that I think A LOT of people are going to be really happy about. It’s going to be gritty and action packed and cerebral and all of those elements that people love about Batman."

Who wants a Batman movie that's not gritty and action-packed? Without some actual concrete plot details, or even a vague story pitch, it's hard to really throw in any proper thoughts on Manganiello's comments. It's even more difficult to imagine him saying anything remotely negative about the flick - especially in light of the recent script rumors. Nevertheless, he's standing by his man:

"Ben’s a great director, man. I mean the last movie that man directed won best picture. He’s got an Oscar for writing. Like, this is all the components to go down as a… everything is lined up for a really really really great movie. Not only a superhero movie but just a great great movie."

Fingers crossed Manganiello's enthusiasm pays off... 

Images: DC, Warner Bros.

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.