When Zack Snyder's Justice League hits HBO Max next year, it will include the original scene featuring Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. Snyder's departure from the project put Joss Whedon in the director's chair for extensive reshoots, and it eventually became an entirely different movie.
Reports indicate that Snyder is helming additional photography to complete his vision for Justice League. This includes shooting new material with actors and restoring previously cut sequences. Part of that will include restoring changes made to the narrative by Joss Whedon. Besides adding subplots like the Russian family, Whedon reorganized scenes, repurposed footage, and significantly altered others. One such scene was the post-credit reveal of Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello, meeting with Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor aboard a yacht.
Speaking with Collider, Manganiello confirmed that it was part of a much larger scene that will be restored to its original form in Zack Snyder's Justice League. The actor also refused to say if he was involved in any new filming under Snyder's direction.
“On my social media, I talked about [how] there was an original end credits sequence that was altered for the release of Justice League. Once Batman was cancelled, they altered that scene. So, here you go, but I wrote about that on my social media. There’s an original scene that will be restored to what it was originally.”
The inclusion of Manganiello as Deathstroke was meant to set up another installment in the DC Extended Universe. Deathstroke was intended to be the primary antagonist in Ben Affleck's version of The Batman. Once Affleck stepped down from the role and filmmaking was handed over to Matt Reeves, the story and Manganiello's version of Deathstroke were scrapped. With the continuation of Snyder's DCEU on hold, Whedon was free to add additional photography to the scene. The result was a Legion of Doom tease rather than one for Ben Affleck's The Batman.
Manganiello's comments further confirm that Zack Snyder is back in complete control of Justice League. Warner Bros. scored a major public relations victory by announcing the Snyder Cut's release on HBO Max. The studio then extended that goodwill by giving Snyder the money to shoot additional scenes and time to re-edit the film to precisely what he wants audiences to see.
However, there is the chance that the original Deathstroke scene only reignites calls for Ben Affleck to return as Batman and for his original script to be produced. Manganiello has teased the Justice League scene on social media, hinting that fans may be able to see Deathstroke in action rather than just talking. There have been rumors that Deathstroke was behind Luthor's escape from prison, so it's plausible that could be what's coming. Superhero movie audiences have come to expect that stingers set up future films, but with no set plans for Snyder's version of the DCEU to continue, Manganiello's scene may have to serve a different purpose. Snyder could decide to find room for the extended scene elsewhere in Justice League rather than keeping it as an end credits sequence.
Source: Collider