Actor James Manganiello, who portrayed Deathstroke in Justice League and was expected to reprise his role in a film opposing Ben Affleck’s Batman, revealed James Gunn told him to let the dream of reprising the character go.
Joe Manganiello speaking at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Speaking with ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian, Manganiello was asked, “Can I hold out hope at all that we might get to see you as Deathstroke in James Gunn’s DC Universe?”
Manganiello responded, “James [Gunn] is my buddy, and James and I had a conversation about it because Jim Lee over at DC Comics wanted me to create a graphic novel series based on the screenplay that I wrote for the Deathstroke origin film that, when they were dismantling the DCEU, that went to the wayside as well.
He continued, “Jim read it, and wanted it to be a graphic novel series, but no one could assure me that, if it garnered the attention of directors [and] producers, that I couldn’t be attached. So I had to let it go. James Gunn was like, ‘Let it go. Just let it go.'”
James Gunn attends the European Premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3” in Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by StillMoving.Net for Disney)
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Not only did Manganiello have to let go of his dreams to play Deathstroke, but he recently revealed he was blocked from bringing to life a Dragonlance live-action project by Wizards of the Coast.
Manganiello, previously teased he had been working on the project last March during the Dungeons & Dragons 2023 Announcement Showcase.
He said, “Ultimately, it was my love of Dragonlance that opened the door for my involvement with the brand, working tirelessly to develop a live-action version of the Dragonlance novels that have never been far from my thoughts throughout all these years since I first read them.”
However, he said the project had been killed by Wizards of the Coast in an interview with ComicBook.com.
He informed the outlet, “Dragonlance is not a property [Wizards in the Coast] are interested in developing further, currently.”
However, he did tease a little bit about what he had planned, “What I had planned for the first season was mind blowing. I just….I want to make [the Dragonlance show] because I want to see it and I just want to feel that excited and electric about something. The characters…like the casting, I have a look book with over 1,000 pages, but it’s not what you expect. The design concepts I had for the world, for the armor, for the swords….I had a fresh take on what the dragons were going to look like, it was going to be nothing like anyone has ever seen. And these beloved characters that have been read by…I think Tracy said there’s 35 million copies in circulation.”
Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2000), Wizards of the Coast
READ: Joe Manganiello Confirms Wizards Of The Coast Scrapped Live-Action ‘Dragonlance’ Property
He added, “The biggest fantasy literary agent in town, he said and these are his words and not mine, that it was the best fantasy pilot he had read since the original Game of Thrones.”
“There was another executive that read it and said it was one of the best fantasy scripts he’s ever read. I actually got an email just this morning from a producer who said it was awesome and that he wanted to send it to the rest of his company and hopes I develop another fantasy IP,” he relayed.
Manganiello also revealed that Wizards of the Coast blocked him from purchasing the rights in order to get his project made, “I offered to buy Dragonlance. I was talking to people with money just to get it and separate it so that I could get the option and take it out on the town.”
Dragons of Summer Flame (2002), Wizards of the Coast
What do you make of Manganiello’s confirmation that he will not reprise his role of Deathstroke in the DCU?
