With the HBO series The Joker and the upcoming sequel Joker: Folie a Deux already earning rave reviews, DC Studios doesn’t look to be done focusing on Batman bad guys, as sources have confirmed to Deadline that the studio is in early development on a new movie involving classic Gotham villains Bane and Deathstroke. Matthew Orton has been set to pen the script with DC Studio co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran producing.
No director is attached at this time and the studio had no commment.
Exact plot details are still uncertain and sources also stressed the two characters would be in the movie but it’s unclear if they would be the central figures of the project.
Both characters are beloved to fans of the comics, with Bane especially gaining popularity over the years after Christopher Nolan made him the main antagonist in The Dark Knight Rises, with Tom Hardy playing the main role. While not as well known, Deathstroke has also gained similar momentum among wider audiences when there was talk of him becoming a bigger figure in the Justice League movies starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill when Joe Manganiello had a cameo as the character in the end credits of the Justice League movie.
When plans changed for the studio, that version was tabled but clearly DC still views both characters as important figures going forward.
As for Orton, he’s no stranger to the comic book world having worked on the script for the upcoming Marvel Studios pic Captain America: Brave New World. Other credits include Devil’s Peak and Cleaner.
He is repped by WME, Grandview, and Johnson Shapiro. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news on the project.