The Ben Affleck Batman movie never happened during Zack Snyder’s time in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). However, the details of the unmade movie have been revealed by actor Joe Manganiello in his new memoir, Bloodlines. Manganiello said that his character, Deathstroke, would have been the villain in the movie. Not only that, but Manganiello explained what the story was about and why his character’s battle with Batman was going to be so intense. It all comes down to a shocking death that would have shaken up the entire DC fan base.
In the memoir Bloodlines, Joe Manganiello wrote (via Entertainment Weekly) that Ben Affleck’s Batman movie would have been “a superhero version of David Fincher’s The Game” and that Deathstroke would “dismantle Batman’s entire life” after he believed that Batman murdered Deathstroke’s son. He also wrote that the revenge would include killing Commissioner Jim Gordon (J.K. Simmons), taking Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) hostage, and breaking into the Batcave. Deathstroke would have almost killed both Batman and Batgirl before they escaped.
Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie Would Have Been an Intense Thriller
This sounds a lot like the storyline from the comics where Bane broke Batman, but instead of using a bunch of other villains to set things up, Deathstroke was going to be a one-man army charging in to take out Batman. It is also interesting to note that Batgirl was going to be in this, because she was never in the DCEU, but she did have a solo movie that was made but then shelved and never released by Warner Bros., so the company could use it as a tax write-off. Michael Keaton’s Batman was going to appear in that Batgirl movie, so it is unclear whether this was that Batgirl or a different version that was scrapped.
However, the big thing to note here is that the movie would have killed Commissioner Gordon. In the comics, Batgirl is Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, so this could have set her up to take his place, which has happened before in alternate-universe Batman storylines. According to Manganiello, the entire movie would have ended with a “climactic one-on-one showdown through the streets of Gotham.” Affleck said it would be inspired by a sequence from the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Manganiello then said it would have been Affleck’s Best Picture version of a Batman movie. Affleck was going to write and direct the movie, comparing it to Mel Gibson writing, directing, and starring in Braveheart.
There is no telling what this movie could have looked like, but it sounds like it would have been an Affleck project and not a Zack Snyder one, although Snyder would have likely produced it. Affleck has said before that he couldn’t crack the Batman movie and had to stop because of his battles with alcoholism. However, according to Manganiello, Affleck had this great idea but never got it made. While this was Manganiello’s story in his memoir, neither Warner Bros. nor Ben Affleck has responded to the claims.