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Joe Manganiello was cast to represent Deathstroke in the picture Ben Affleck– directed by “Batman” in 2016. However, the film fell apart after Affleck stepped down from directing and starring. Now, years later, the “Magic Mike” star is reflecting on the scrapped role, revealing that his casting in the film gave him hope amid his battle with a potentially fatal autoimmune disease.
Joe Manganiello Says He Lost His Mind After Losing ‘Batman’ Death Scene
Entertainment Tonight interviewed Manganiello in October 2026 while promoting his book, “Bloodlines: A Memoir.” During the conversation, the “True Blood” actor was asked about Affleck’s solo film “Batman” and how he handled losing the role of Deathstroke when the project fell apart.
“I mean, I lost my mind when that happened,” he began. “It was so difficult because he offered me that role as the villain in Batman as the universe said, ‘It’s going to be okay. If you can shoot one day next month, you’ll figure it out, and you’ll shoot this action movie next year.'”
Afterwards, Manganiello said he “knew [he] “And when he left, I didn’t have that to fight for anymore, and it was almost like I was now looking in the mirror and for the first time since I got sick and had the surgeries, I saw the scars,” he continued.
Manganiello says that he now sees the film ‘Batman’ broken in a different way
Manganiello continued, reflecting not only on losing his role in “Batman” but also on how the fall of the film changed the way he saw health. According to him, “At the time I saw it as unlucky. What I came to understand along the way is that I was lucky to have her.”
“It was never meant to be for me. It was there to make sure I didn’t stop fighting and that I was in the best shape I could when they tried to reconnect my digestive system,” the actor explained about the importance of the failed film in his life’s path.
When asked if he would consider taking on the role, given the talks of Deathstroke appearing in future films, he said, “If you want a hero, you know who to call.”
The ‘Magic Mike’ actor opened up about his illness before his book was published
Manganiello broke his silence to PEOPLE in October 2026 about his year-long battle with a mysterious autoimmune disease, which he says began in 2015 shortly after his wedding to Sofia Vergara. The actor first noted severe abdominal pain, fever, rashes, headache, etc. After that, he started experiencing proper bleeding.
“I was getting sicker and sicker,” he told the outlet. ” In 2016, Manganiello underwent surgery to remove part of his intestines, which made him dependent on an ostomy bag.
“It happened to me, and it’s the truth, and I have the scars to prove it,” Manganiello said of the ordeal before adding, “[Autoimmune] situations are the basis for dumping things [doctors] don’t understand They start running you through all these drugs. ”
In terms of treatment, Manganiello recalled that he was prescribed medication for Crohn’s and colitis but “none of them worked.” He then had to use hydrocodone, fentanyl patches, and marijuana to treat the pain, which made the actor question his sobriety journey, which he had successfully completed for 13 years.
“I didn’t feel qualified to say I was sober,” he said before adding, “[but] I had to put the pain and the situation first,” Manganiello said, adding that his illness also contributed to the end of his marriage to Vergara.
He also said he had considered taking his own life before adopting a dog in 2019, saying, “I had to give up my gun because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being a patient to a caregiver.”
Joe Manganiello will play a bigger role in ‘One Piece’ Season 3
Manganiello joined the cast of Netflix’s “One Piece” for its second season as Mr. 0. The season premiered in March 2026, and Variety reported that the actor was promoted to series regular for the third installment of the popular live-action series.
The production of the season ended in June, and is expected to premiere in 2027.
His book is out now
Manganiello’s book, “Bloodlines: A Memoir,” was published by Simon & Schuster on October 13. This follows a 2013 book from the same publisher, “Evolution.”
According to the publisher, “In this compelling memoir, actor Joe Manganiello, star of ‘True Blood’ and ‘Magic Mike,’ reveals his previously undisclosed health problem, marked by numerous near-death experiences and medical emergencies, that led him beyond medicine and into an extraordinary, world-wide quest that revealed answers to his ancestry, inherited trauma, and our deepest stories.”
