Back in January, we reported that Joe Manganiello was up for the Deathstroke role in Warner Bros.' DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad, with Jason Clarke listed as another possible candidate. We haven't heard much on the Deathstroke front since then, but today we have two new reports that indicate Joe Manganiello may be very close to signing on. CinemaBlend's sources reveal the actor "has all but locked up the part," which falls in line with the January report that indicated director David Ayer wants to "get his own people" on Suicide Squad. Joe Manganiello worked with David Ayer on last year's action-thriller Sabotage.

While the site reports that Joe Manganiello's deal is not completed yet, they expect him to be confirmed very soon. January's report revealed that Deathstroke will be "a hired assassin competing with the Suicide Squad," which has now been backed up by a report from Latino Review's El Mayimbe. We reported yesterday that the obscure DC Comics character Antiphon and his nefarious group Onslaught will be the main villains, with El Mayimbe reporting that Deathstroke will work for them. Here's what he had to say about Deathstroke, and how he fits into the story.

"He's a hired assassin and he doesn't have any powers like in the comic book. They're going for a pre-super villain Deathstroke. He's a huge part of both of the major set pieces of the film. His introduction is INSANE! He's badass & almost takes the team down on one mission single handed. Deathstroke has THE breakout & choicest role in the film. The running gun battle that sources are describing is something else. His suit is very stealth oriented. They used an actual US military tactical outfit for the basis. He's armed to the teeth, uses a sword and automatics. In concept artwork he has two eyes. The mask is there and it's the iconic one."

El Mayimbe also adds that Jason Clarke had to turn the Deathstroke role down, due to a scheduling conflict with Marc Forster's All I See Is You. Joe Manganiello also had a scheduling conflict with the Ryan Murphy TV series Scream Queens, but he just dropped out, meaning the Deathstroke role is "probably" his for the taking.

Finally, while this has yet to be confirmed, Screen Rant has a theory about the rumored twist ending that was mentioned back in January's report. The twist is that Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman), who reportedly spends most of the movie looking after Amanda Waller, was actually working with his villainous father, Rick Flagg Sr., all along. Since this twist has no basis in the comic books, many shrugged it off, but the site speculates that villainous Antiphon may actually be Rick Flagg Sr. himself. Ed Harris has been rumored to play Rick Flagg Sr., and while he is far from confirmed, the actor recently said that his Run All Night co-star Joel Kinnaman had something for him to look at. Naturally, it could be a different role, but with production starting next month in Toronto, it's possible that Joel Kinnaman is trying to convince Ed Harris to come aboard. What do you think about these new details? Let us know what you think below.