It wasn’t too long ago that Ben Affleck made the surprising video reveal that Deathstroke would be in the standalone Batman film, rumored to be titled The Batman, and many were already speculating who would play the deadly assassin.

One of the top names rumored was Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike, True Blood, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday). Now, a new report confirms this casting, stating that the actor has signed on the play the character. More on the story below.

DCEU co-head Geoff Johns confirmed the news to the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that it was Manganiello in the Deathstroke suit in the aforementioned video reveal, but could not offer any more details as to how many more films we will see Deathstroke in. (He also reportedly declined to reveal when the Batman solo movie will be released.)

For one thing, the character’s announcement was made during the production of Justice League, but was later confirmed to be the lead villain in the standalone Batman film. However, things can change quickly, so he may have be added in as a minor villain hired to get rid of the Justice League or he may simply be an easter egg that leads up to the solo Batman film. I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.

There are many rumors as to what the standalone Batman film could be about. Word is that it could involve many villains and may even take place at Arkham Asylum. It should be interesting to see if there is any truth to that, and if there is, it should be even more interesting to see how Deathstroke will fit into all of that.

For those who may not know the history of the character, Deathstroke is Slade Wilson, a mercenary, and assassin who is given superhuman strength and reflexes and has an accelerated healing rate thanks in part to a government serum. He is skilled in all kinds of weaponry and has gone toe-to-toe against many members of the Justice League.

He was most recently portrayed by Manu Bennett in Arrow, where he wrecked havoc on Star City in season 2.

No word yet on when the Batman standalone film will hit theaters, but it will be directed by Ben Affleck, who has co-written the script with Johns.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]