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Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello gave us our best overview of Ben Affleck's scrapped Batman movie yet

Image: Warner Bros.

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While rumors about the plot of Ben Affleck's scrapped Batman film have circulated for years, Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello finally revealed more details about its story in his new memoir, Bloodlines.

What did Joe Manganiello reveal about Ben Affleck's Batman film?

In the 2010s, Ben Affleck was attached to direct a Batman film, starring his version of the superhero from Zack Snyder's DCEU. It never materialized because Ben Affleck backed off directing the film for personal reasons, but Joe Manganiello was still cast as Deathstroke, an iconic Batman and Teen Titans villain.

Entertainment Weekly reports that, in Bloodlines, Manganiello describes the movie as "a superhero version of David Fincher's The Game" where Deathstroke would try to "dismantle Batman's entire life" after the death of his son Jericho. His relentless attacks on Batman would've led to the kidnapping of Alfred and a shocking death, as Deathstroke would've murdered J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon during his conquest.

Manganiello also claims Batgirl would've appeared in the movie, and that Deathstroke would nearly kill the heroes in a mid-movie fight before they escape via train. The movie was then supposed to culminate in a brutal fight between Batman and Deathstroke inspired by the iconic CG trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins.

It sounds like a pretty brutal premise for a Batman movie fitting for the DCEU's darker take on the character. Keep in mind the movie never entered full production, so if it had seen the light of day, Ben Affleck's Batman could've differed somewhat from this premise that Manganiello recalls. Still, I definitely would've been seated for a Batman movie bold enough to kill Commissioner Gordon.

Ultimately, Ben Affleck's Batman film never came to pass, and Manganiello would appear only as Deathstroke in Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League. In a recent interview, Manganiello said he'd be interested in reprising the role.

Warner Bros. would go on to produce The Batman starring Robert Pattinson instead of Ben Affleck's film. Now, The Batman Part 2 and DCU-canon Batman and Deathstroke movies are in the works. %!s()

The Red Devils travelled to the Yorkshire home of their bitter rivals desperate to find a spark after just two wins in nine games in all competitions this season.

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The sense of a growing crisis at the club was exacerbated in midweek by an outburst from defender Lisandro Martinez, who took aim at the United hierarchy after a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Argentina centre-back said Carrick, in his first full season in charge at Old Trafford, had been left with an under-strength squad after an underwhelming summer transfer window.

The United boss insisted on Friday that the club had “moved on” from the incident and Martinez was named in the starting lineup at Elland Road.

Both teams were fully committed in a feisty start to the match in Leeds but there was little goalmouth action.

The first effort on target came in the 26th minute when United goalkeeper Senne Lammens clawed away a Nico Elvedi header destined for the top corner after bouncing up off the turf.

Bryan Mbeumo, playing as United’s target man, headed wastefully wide a minute later after a fine cross from Youri Tielemans and then shot tamely at Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford.

But he finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Tielemans again delivered a low ball from the right which Mbeumo guided into the bottom corner for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

Martinez went off at half-time as Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui was brought into the action.

Leeds started strongly after the break and were level in the 51st minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin controlled the ball on his chest and finished at full stretch after Tarik Muharemovic got his head to the ball following a corner.

The home team were now well on top, largely limiting Carrick’s team to counter-attacks.

The Man United boss made attacking substitutions in the search for a winner, bringing on Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha, but neither team could force a winner.

The point left 20-time English champions Manchester United in 13th place in the table with just one win in seven games while Leeds are seventh.

Brighton stun Crystal Palace with five-star display

Elsewhere on Sunday, Brighton leapfrogged Arsenal into second place, at least temporarily, after humbling Crystal Palace 5-0, including a sensational Diego Gomez effort from the halfway line.

Fabian Hurzeler’s team were three goals up inside 10 minutes after an own goal from Palace defender Jaydee Canvot, Gomez’s spectacular effort and a strike from Yasin Ayari.

Further goals from Charalampos Kostoulas and substitute Jack Hinshelwood in the second half deepened Palace’s pain.

The Gunners, six points behind Manchester City, are in action at Nottingham Forest in the late-afternoon kickoff.

Arsenal need a win to rein in City, who have won all seven of their league games this season.

Enzo Maresca’s men have put together their impressive run despite off-field distractions after the club was charged with multiple breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Bournemouth beat 10-man Sunderland 2-0 with goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson for their first league win of the season. %!s()

The 27-member bloc issued its statement on Sunday, the day after masked settlers attacked a visiting delegation near the Palestinian village of Taybeh.

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The assault has intensified diplomatic pressure on Israel as attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest increasingly threaten journalists and foreign visitors accompanying them.

Diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, along with representatives of the Catholic Church, were visiting the predominantly Christian village east of Ramallah to show support for Palestinian olive growers when masked men attacked them.

They threatened members of the delegation and smashed a window of a Belgian diplomatic vehicle.

Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said he was kicked and beaten, despite wearing the ceremonial sash identifying him as a French official.

“I was thrown to the ground,” Baudoux told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.

The EU said on Sunday it welcomed statements by Israeli officials condemning the attacks but expected “full accountability” and measures to prevent further violence against Palestinians and journalists.

It also called on Israel to respect international law and stop expanding settlements in the occupied territory.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel on Saturday to arrest those responsible and protect civilians.

Prevot said Belgian personnel were safe, although their vehicle had been damaged.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X on Saturday evening that its diplomats were unharmed and there was no indication they had been specifically targeted.

Warsaw demanded an explanation from Israel and action against the attackers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the violence on Saturday, describing the perpetrators as rioters and said that police had opened an investigation.

He also criticised the delegation for failing to coordinate its visit with the Israeli military, arguing that advance arrangements could have helped protect the visitors.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said violence against diplomats was unacceptable but questioned whether video circulating online provided enough evidence to establish exactly what happened.

Violence during olive harvest

The diplomatic incident followed another attack on Friday in the village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah. Masked settlers assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives and severely injured US photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was covering the farmers for The Washington Post.

Levine said she was beaten for more than 10 minutes, despite wearing protective clothing identifying her as a journalist.

She suffered broken ribs and underwent surgery on her hand. Her camera, phone and passport were stolen.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in Maryland on Saturday, urged Israel to crack down on settler pogroms and warned that President Donald Trump did not want another crisis in the West Bank.

In a statement on X on Saturday evening, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described Levine’s assault as a “despicable act of terror” and demanded prosecutions.

The attacks have disrupted an olive harvest that provides income for tens of thousands of Palestinian families.

On Sunday, Israeli settlers cut down 120 olive trees on Palestinian-owned land in the village of Kisan, southeast of Bethlehem, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Farmers have reported assaults, stolen crops, damaged trees and restrictions preventing them from reaching their land.

The United Nations humanitarian office said last week that nearly 200 settler attacks linked to this year’s harvest had caused casualties or property damage, already exceeding the 185 incidents recorded throughout last year’s season. %!s()

Raiola owned his performance, and one week later, he could only watch as Thomas, who started over him against Nebraska led Oregon's offense for three quarters.

The results were suboptimal -- seven punts and a fumble to start the game, and only two field goals in the third quarter for the Ducks.

"I went over to Brock and told him we need a spark," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "Dylan throughout the game was completely engaged. He was ready for his moment."

This time, when the fourth quarter began and the Ducks trailed by eight points with any semblance of hope for their season hanging on by a thread, it was Raiola who was called on to play hero. Against his former team, Raiola delivered in the form of a hard-fought 17-14 victory over the Cornhuskers.

"I knew beforehand there was gonna be emotions," Raiola said of the matchup. "This game was never about them. It was always about us getting back on track."

From the moment he stepped on the field, Raiola revived Oregon's anemic offense. The run game was resuscitated, and Raiola himself finally moved the ball up the field with his arm and his legs. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 59 yards and led a field-goal drive that narrowed Oregon's deficit to 14-9 with 7:18 remaining.

With just over five minutes left in the game, Raiola plotted the offense forward again and finished things off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds left, giving Oregon a 17-14 lead.

Autzen Stadium, which had showered the field with boos in the first half -- boos that Lanning later said were deserved -- and saw many leave at halftime, exploded into cheers.

"None of it was necessarily pretty," Lanning said. "It was a gritty, ugly win."

During the week, Lanning had vowed a different approach and hinted at changes with how the Ducks would attempt to execute their offensive vision.

Aside from starting Thomas, the Ducks deployed different formations, even flirting with a Wildcat formation at some points, albeit to little success. While Lanning said that the decision to go with Thomas was due to him being better at taking care of the ball during practice, Thomas fumbled the ball in the first half.

Once Raiola came in under center, the Ducks were able to find some semblance of the rhythm they had during the second half of the win over USC when Raiola had come into the game cold once Dante Moore went out with a concussion.

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for Raiola since -- from being the reason behind an emotional win to finding himself at the center of a loss, he was able to bounce back in emphatic fashion.

"I came into this week knowing I had to compete," Raiola said. "I wasn't gonna pout. I wasn't gonna be miserable to be around. ... We rallied around each other."

Raiola called his performance against UCLA "uncharacteristic" and said that he felt horrible and that he had let his teammates down, especially those who opted to return to Eugene in search of a title instead of heading to the NFL.

"I owe it to these guys, I owe it to our fans, we're gonna keep doing whatever it takes to win," he said.

For an Oregon (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) team that came into the season ranked second in the nation and had championship aspirations, this season has gone haywire. While the defense seems to be rounding into form with every week, at no point has the Ducks' offense consistently looked the part of a contender.

And yet, during a day that saw five top-10 teams lose, Raiola's late-game heroics Saturday were enough to keep Oregon's season just on the brink, not off it.

"I'll never make excuses. We have enough talent and enough players to be better than we've been. That being said, it does look like a different group than the one we started the season with," Lanning said. "We thought we were going to have Jeremiah McClellan, Evan Stewart and Dante Moore [three players who missed the game vs. Nebraska].

"There are some different pieces to the puzzle out there, and we're working really, really hard to shuffle things around and figure it out." %!s()

Here's a look at what you need to know for each contest, including betting info and broadcast details:

Odds are provided by DraftKings and subject to change.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild

8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | MIN -185, O/U: 6.5

Beyond the fact that they both began play as 2000-01 expansion teams, the Wild and Blue Jackets don't have a ton of shared history, with Minnesota holding a 36-23-11 head-to-head edge in their prior matchups.

But for fans of USA Hockey, this will be a fun contest. Though Brock Faber remains out, Olympic heroes Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy will lace 'em up for the Wild, with Zach Werenski playing heavy minutes for the Blue Jackets.

Carolina Hurricanes at Calgary Flames

8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | CAR -218, O/U: 6.5

Many of the NHL's upper-echelon teams have tried -- and failed -- to beat the defending Stanley Cup champs this season, with only the Panthers and Capitals able to do so. Is it something about their former Southeast Division foes?

Well, the Flames never played in that division, but the franchise did originally start in Atlanta. So maybe there's some extra magic in the air for them as they look to earn win No. 2 of the season against their visitors.

Reminder: Fans can catch all the action in the NHL streaming hub and on the ESPN App.

Jump ahead:
Top NHL stories
Last night's scores
NHL stats leaders
Today in hockey history

Top stories around the NHL

Here's what you need to know:

• The latest edition of the Wysh List, including Greg's conversation with Devils GM Sunny Mehta.

• Kristen Shilton explores why the Red Wings have an "us against the world" mentality this season.

• The most recent ESPN NHL Power Rankings, including the "shock of the season" for all 32 teams.

• Wyshynski identifies the top reason to watch all 32 teams this season.

• Patrick Kane set the record for assists by a U.S.-born player with a helper on a Connor Bedard goal.

• Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk became the third player in NHL history to score natural hat tricks in back-to-back games.

Saturday's scoreboard

Washington Capitals 4, New Jersey Devils 2,
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Vancouver Canucks 2
Florida Panthers 8, Seattle Kraken 3
New York Islanders 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Montreal Canadiens 4, Buffalo Sabres 3 (OT)
Detroit Red Wings 4, San Jose Sharks 3 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 3, Ottawa Senators 1
Columbus Blue Jackets 1, New York Rangers 0 (OT)
Dallas Stars 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Nashville Predators 5, St. Louis Blues 2
Boston Bruins 4, Los Angeles Kings 1
Edmonton Oilers 6, Utah Mammoth 2
Vegas Golden Knights 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 2

NHL scoring leaders

Click here for full list of stats leaders.

NHL goaltending leaders

Click here for the full list of goaltender stats.

Today in hockey history

In 2026-27, the Flyers just got their first win Saturday in their 10th game of the season, but it took them way less time to achieve that feat in their inaugural campaign of 1967-68.

On this day in 1967, the Flyers notched their first win in franchise history in Game No. 3, outlasting the fellow expansion Blues 2-1. Ed Hoekstra scored the game-winning goal in the third period.

Here's what those beauties looked like that season:

On this date in 1967, the #Flyers earned their first NHL victory by beating the #STLBlues 2-1. https://t.co/q0tCCFYqyz

— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) October 18, 2019

(H/T The Hockey Writers) %!s()