DC Studios Developing Film Involving Batman Villains Bane and Deathstroke

Villains really are the new superheroes.

DC Studios has tapped screenwriter Matthew Orton (“Captain America: Brave New World”) to write a feature film that will involve Batman villains Bane and Deathstroke, Variety has confirmed. The project is still in its infancy: There are no stars or director attached, and DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran have been clear that they will not greenlight a project until they are satisfied with a complete screenplay.

The movie follows a growing trend in the superhero space of projects focusing as much on the villains as on the heroes, from the ongoing HBO series “The Penguin” and Disney+ series “Agatha All Along” to Warner Bros. upcoming sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” and Sony’s upcoming Marvel adaptations “Venom: The Last Dance” and “Kraven the Hunter.”

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Bane and Deathstroke have also appeared in previous DC adaptations. Most famously, Tom Hardy played Bane in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” in which the hulking, masked king of the underworld broke Batman’s back — as he did in the character’s famous comic storyline “Knightfall” — and held Gotham City hostage. Bane also featured as a secondary villain in 1997’s “Batman & Robin,” as played by professional wrestler Robert Swenson, and Shane West played the character on Fox’s Batman prequel series “Gotham.”

Deathstroke — a superpowered mercenary also known as Slade Wilson — is also a recurring Batman nemesis, but he most frequently has been a primary villain for the Teen Titans. Joe Manganiello briefly played the character in a post-credits scene from 2017’s “Justice League” and 2021’s “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” Manu Bennett played the role on the CW series “Arrow,” and Esai Morales portrayed Deathstroke on the Max series “Titans.”

Orton launched his career writing the 2018 Nazi hunter thriller “Operation Finale” with Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley. He was also a writer and consulting producer on the 2022 Marvel Studios series “Moon Knight,” and he co-wrote the upcoming thriller “Hostage” with Daisy Ridley and Clive Owen.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news about the movie.