Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman: Deathstroke’ Coming to HBO Max as Series

BREAKING: Ben Affleck will bring the long rumored Batman: Deathstroke project to HBO Max as a series, according to media reports.

Affleck will showrun, star and produce the project under his and Matt Damon’s Artist Equity banner. The series is being eyed as an 8 episode story focused on the Caped Crusader’s pursuit of DC’s deadliest assassin.

The series will be part of the DC Elseworlds imprint.

In the comics, although Deathstroke was initially known as a Teen Titans villain, the character has become more of a Batman antagonist in recent years in the comics and video games. Deathstroke was a popular character in the Arkham series of video games and even had his own boss stage.

Affleck says he went on instinct when he chose Deathstroke as the villain in his upcoming series.

“He’s a great villain because — I just had an instinctive feeling that he would match up with him well. You know, I’m a big admirer of that character as well, especially in the New 52 the way that they did Deathstroke, and I thought that it could work,” Affleck told Collider.

Affleck will next be seen as Batman opposite Ezra Miller in DC’s The Flash which opens in theaters on June 16.

The New 52 denotes the 2011 DC Comics overhaul that presented 52 new comic book titles featuring innovative approaches to beloved superheroes and their stories.

Deathstroke, who will be played by former True Blood and Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello, was created by Marv Wolfman and and the late George Perez. The mercenary assassin first appeared in The New Teen Titans issue #2, back in 1980. Wizard magazine rated Deathstroke the 24th greatest villain of all time.

Batman and Deathstroke’s first encounter was in the 1991 story arc City of Assassins, in which Deathstroke pounded Batman to a bloody pulp.

A writer’s room is being put together to announce that this whole story is a pipe dream. April Fools!