Dave Bautista Spoke With James Gunn About Playing Bane, But It's Not Happening

For those hoping to see a very different kind of comic book role from Dave Bautista, the dream appears to be dead. The wrestler-turned-actor has made no bones about wanting to expand his horizons beyond his role as the lovably dorky Drax from James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. That's undoubtedly a big reason why we've seen him put himself in a position to be cast in high-profile productions like Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049," Sam Mendes' "Spectre," Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," and most recently in the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan thriller "Knock at the Cabin." But there's apparently one big career move that we can now rule out for the immediate future: defecting from Marvel to DC to play the villainous Bane.

Bautista broke the bad news himself during an interview with Insider (via Variety). Despite making a concerted effort to put himself in the running for the role in any upcoming DC movie, it would now seem that Warner Bros. Discovery's ongoing creative overhaul spearheaded by his old buddy James Gunn has made Bautista a victim of circumstance. According to Bautista, he's had "conversations" with the new DC co-head (alongside producer Peter Safran) and ultimately came to the conclusion that he's not quite the right fit for WB/DC's new direction:

"I have had conversations with James about that but I think the direction he's leaning in, completely rebooting that whole universe, he's starting from scratch and starting younger and fresher and I think you need to do that."

Dave Bautista has carved out a really nice niche for himself, taking full advantage of his physicality by either playing imposing goon-adjacent parts or undercutting expectations entirely by bringing humor and/or an unexpected sensitivity to characters with far more layers than viewers might have assumed. Bautista could've tapped into the best of both worlds with the DC villain Bane, but it seems that was simply never in the cards once James Gunn and Peter Safran took over.

Bautista went on to describe how he's come to accept the reality of bad timing:

"I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors. You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don't think you can do that with me. And I understand that. And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don't want to play a character that I can't bring justice to it. I don't think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore. I just don't know if I could handle the physical part, and I don't think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films. So, I just don't know if I'd be that guy."

Even at 54, Bautista has a lot left to offer ... but that's clearly at odds with the demanding contracts and schedules necessitated by such a major comic book movie role. As disappointing as that might be, however, at least he's free to keep choosing demanding and challenging roles.

"Knock at the Cabin," releasing February 3, 2023, may just feature his finest performance yet.