In talking to "The Media"--in this case, represented by that bastion of insider movie knowledge, Chef Robert Irvine's magazine (what?)--for his upcoming role as the three-apples tall, animated Hefty Smurf in Smurfs: The Lost Village, tough guy Joe Manganiello took "The Media" to task for being "drama queens." Though blaming "The Media" for perceived slights while using "The Media" itself to do so is all the rage these days, Manganiello did backpedal on his previous assertion that The Batman movie would start filming this May.

Now, it looks like the standalone Batman film starring Ben Affleck as the title character could start filming "soon", which is as close to confirmation of a start date as Manganiello would get. He makes some good points: a run-of-the-mill movie has more moving parts than the average theater-goer realizes, and the balance between the logistics of production and the creative side of the story is a difficult one to maintain. Now amp that up to the level of The Batman and the expectations of Warner Bros.' for the DCEU, and it's amazing that films of this magnitude ever come together at all. So while Manganiello may have taken the easy way out by blaming "The Media" for publicizing/sensationalizing any behind-the-scenes drama, it's still good to know that the cast and crew are dedicated to making The Batman the best it can be.

Here are Manganiello's thoughts on the drama surrounding Affleck stepping down from the director's chair, the resulting appointment of Matt Reeves to the position, and the fallout from those decisions impacting The Batman (via JoBlo):

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Image via Warner Bros.

RI: You said in an interview last year that you might start filming in the spring. Other recent reports show the script might not be there.

 

JM: Last year, I said May and that was my understanding. It depends. They have big plans for this movie. Whether or not we start exactly on that date or in June, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Here’s the thing: The creative process needs to be respected and no one involved in this film wants to make anything less than an unbelievable film, a legendary film. The movie will start shooting whenever those pieces are in place and we know this is gonna be something that we’re proud of. What we’re not gonna do is be backed into a start date, scrambling to get something off the ground just to get it off the ground. Everyone involved wants to make this the best film possible, so that’s really what it’s about. It’s funny how the media likes to run with, “Oh there’s trouble!” “Oh, the script needs to be revised!” They’re drama queens. There’s a creative process, and everyone on the cast and crew wants to make this the best movie possible. So that’s what we’re gonna do. When we start shooting it, we’ll start shooting it. It will be soon, I can say that. Here’s the thing: No one wants to create that superhero movie that’s polarizing to fans and critics. Rest assured, we’re gonna do this thing right.

By way of confirmation for his role in the Batman film, Manganiello commented on his training to play the DC assassin:

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Image via Warner Bros.

RI: How is your training going right now? Are you focused on playing Deathstroke in the Batman movie, or is that too far off?

 

JM: No, I’ve started. My trainer and I have started putting together some workouts that are specific to the character and how I want the character to move. It’s an incredibly athletic role so all of the training is very functional. I’ve also started Kung fu and chi gung training, and I’ve also started working with katanas.

 

RI: How do you feel with the katanas? Pretty good?

 

JM: I’m gonna be ready.

Here's Manganiello's take on joining the DCEU in the never-before-seen big-screen role of Deathstroke:

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Image via DC Comics

RI: You’re now entering the DC Extended Universe, which includes Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Suicide Squad– those movies have been successful, but have had a very rough time critically.

 

JM: As far as what other people think, I can’t comment, I’m just me. I’m very excited for this role. I’m very excited to be working with the people I’m going to be working with. I’ve known Jon Berg (producer) prior to joining the DCEU. I met everyone, Zack Snyder included, when Man of Steel came out. I’ve known them all for years and I’m very excited to work with everyone. Ben Affleck makes great films and he’s a great Batman. Geoff Johns certainly is a really fun guy to hang around with and has a great grasp on this steering wheel that is the Titanic of the DCEU. Knowing what they have planned for the future, I think fans are really gonna love. There were a lot of superhero and supervillain roles that came my way and my gut said those were not the right fit for me. This one was perfect. This was exactly what I was looking for.

 

RI: And you get to make him your own because he’s never been portrayed in a live-action film before.

 

JM: Yeah, I guess there was a TV show but I haven’t seen it. I won’t watch it. This is my character, an exciting one, and has the capacity I think, to be a great villain. And what all the great ones can do is polarize an audience. When I was a kid I always rooted for the villain. As a kid I think I would have rooted for him and I think fans will.

We're certainly rooting for a solid take on The Batman, a thrilling performance from both Affleck and Manganiello for their respective characters, and a career outing from Reeves; all the pieces seem to be in place, but we won't know for sure until the final product reaches theaters. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!