Ben Affleck's Batman Movie Was Like Fincher's The Game, Says Joe Manganiello

Next to the almighty hullabaloo surroundingZack Snyder’s cut ofJustice League, the biggest What If story of the DCEU is probablyBen Affleck’sBatmanmovie, which would have also seen the actor reprise the title role and co-write the script. Unfortunately for anyone excited about that idea and/or just excited to see photos of Ben Affleck directing in a cape, that project eventually changed hands and morphed intoMatt Reeves’The BatmanwithRobert Pattinsonunder the cowl. But the question remains: What did Affleck’s vision of Gotham City look like? Well, according toJoe Manganiello—who was set to play Deathstroke in the film—it would’ve looked a bit like aDavid Fincherfilm, and definitelynotthe one you’re thinking of.

“There were similarities toThe Game,” Manganiello toldYahoo, referring to Fincher’s 1997 thriller in which the life of a wealthy banker, Nicolas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) unravels after he agrees to take part in a vast, shadowy game. It is awildride that makesvery little sense on a second watch, and I must insist you watch it immediately if you haven’t done so already.

According to Manganiello, Deathstroke would methodically tear down Bruce Wayne’s entire network of friends and family, much likeThe Gametears down every aspect of Van Orton’s reality.

“It was a really dark story in which Deathstroke was like a shark or a horror movie villain that was dismantling Bruce’s life from the inside out. It was this systemic thing: He killed everyone close to Bruce and destroyed his life to try and make him suffer because he felt that Bruce was responsible for something that happened to him.”

Manganiello continued: “It was really cool, really dark, and really hard.”

The Fincher comparison is especially intriguing because the first thought you have after watchingThe Batmanteaseris, “well, that looks like a David Fincher movie.” It’ll be interesting to see if any of Affleck’s story bled into this new script—which Reeves co-wrote withPeter CraigandMattson Tomlin—despite swapping out Deathstroke for The Riddler (Paul Dano) as the main villain. Honestly, The Riddler just feels like way more of aThe Gamefan than Deathstroke.

For more onThe Batman, which hits theaters on June 19, 2025, here is Reeves on whatmakes his Batsuit so unique.