• Joe Manganiello attends the premiere of 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Paramount Theatre on March 17, 2016 in Austin, Texas.

Joe Manganiello attends the premiere of 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at Paramount Theatre on March 17, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo : Getty Images for SXSW/Mike Windle)

Ben Affleck's "Batman" movie has finally found an actor to play its villain. Joe Manganiello is set to portray Deathstroke in the upcoming film and fans have shared their excitement over the Hollywood star's casting.

Avid DC movie fans were given a treat in late August when Affleck unveiled a short clip on his Twitter account that showed a quick glimpse of the "Batman" movie's villain Deathstroke. The identity of the actor to play the said character has been kept a secret. However, DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns has recently confirmed Manganiello's casting as Deathstroke in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Like Us on Facebook

Johns did not provide further details about the "True Blood" actor's role in Affleck's upcoming movie. He also declined to comment whether Manganiello's Deathstroke will make a cameo appearance in the "Justice League" film.

The upcoming "Batman" movie will be the first time that Manganiello will portray a DC villain. Although he previously starred in a superhero movie namely the "Spider-Man" films that starred Tobey Maguire as the web-slinging hero. In the said movies, Manganiello played the character Flash Thompson.

On the other hand, Sofia Vergara's husband appears excited over his involvement in Affleck's "Batman" movie and even shared the casting news on social media. Manganiello took to Twitter on Friday, Sept. 9, to share a link to the Wall Street Journal report where DC Entertainment's Johns confirmed his participation in the film. The actor also included a simple message that conveyed his anticipation for his new movie project. "It's on...," he wrote.


The "Magic Mike XXL" star's Twitter message has gained positive comments on the said social media site, CNET reported. Shortly after Manganiello posted his message, several netizens congratulated him for landing the DC villain role in Affleck's "Batman."

Twitter user @Grimes_Gurl wrote that the actor is the perfect person to play the said character. The same sentiment was shared by Twitter user @MSplendor who conveyed her excitement over Manganiello's casting. "You were meant to be Deathstroke, I have really wanted to see you as a villain!,congrats," she wrote.

Affleck’s upcoming “Batman” movie is expected to be released in 2018.

Meanwhile, watch a trailer for the upcoming film “Justice League” that features Batman, Wonder Woman and other DC superheroes: