Get your pinch of salt ready, as this rumour stems from Reddit – and more specifically the same “source” who recently offered up some alleged details on the script for The Flash movie – but it seems that Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight may find himself going up against a trio of Rogues when his long-gestating solo movie The Batman finally hits the big screen.
As we already know, the original plan for The Batman was for Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, to be the primary antagonist back when Ben Affleck was directing, with Joe Manganiello cast in the role, and if this report is to be believed Deathstroke will be joined by The Joker and The Scarecrow.
Matt Reeves is yet to officially start work on The Batman, owing to his commitments to Fox’s War for the Planet of the Apes, but it is of course possible that he’s expressed his interest behind-the-scenes as to which villains he’d like to include in the film.
As with Deathstroke, The Joker has already been cast in the DC Extended Universe, portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, while The Scarecrow is also on Warner/DC’s radar, having initially been considered for last year’s DC supervillain team-up [check out some Suicide Squad concept art featuring Jonathan Crane here].
As we mentioned at the outset, this should be filed firmly in the rumour category for the time being, and could well be a complete fabrication. However, let us know in the comments what you’d make of these villains for The Batman, or if you’d like to see the Dark Knight going up against any other members of his Rogue’s Gallery…
Originally published May 25, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
