It quickly became clear from the moment it started that James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios would be nothing like Marvel Studios. They’d be doing different genres, trying new things and each film would feel different. One of the projects being batted around in 2024 was a Bane and Deathstroke team-up movie, and recent reports are confirming it’s still alive.
It’s certainly an unconventional idea as both Bane and Deathstroke are traditional villains, whose appearances have been as threats and plot complications to superhero characters. They don’t usually “team up,” let alone marquee their own star roles. In 2024 DC said Matthew Orton, who’d been behind the Moon Knight show, was working on a Bane / Deathstroke script. The new report this weekend is that Greg Mottola (Superbad) is in consideration for director. Mottola has past experience with Gunn’s projects, having directed two episodes of Peacemaker.
Bane has been in a lot of things. He first appeared in a Batman: The Animated Series episode nearly immediately after his creation in comics, and had a goofy silver screen debut in Batman and Robin. This was followed by a far more serious take on the guy in The Dark Knight Rises, which was then followed by a far sillier satirical take on THAT take in Harley Quinn. It’s unknown right now if this new movie is intended to be dark or comedic, but Bane is versatile enough to handle both.
Deathstroke’s media appearances have been less common. In his most prominent role, he didn’t go by his famous name. He was the Big Bad in the 2000s Teen Titans cartoon, and had to be called “Slade” because CN censors didn’t like what he called himself (his full real name is Slade Wilson). In live-action he’s mostly been a TV character, appearing in The CW’s Arrow and HBO Max’s Titans. His single movie appearance, in Justice League, was only seconds long.
At the moment the idea of a Bane / Deathstroke feature is just that — an idea. It has not been officially approved for production. If it stalls out, Bane still has the upcoming multi-part animated adaption of Knightfall, the comic book story that made him famous, coming to home video formats and streaming. Deathstroke would have to look for work.
