M. Night Shyamalan Cast Dave Bautista In Knock At The Cabin Thanks To Blade Runner 2049

Dave Bautista's role in "Blade Runner 2049" might not have been large, but it was absolutely pivotal. It also got Bautista a role in M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming film "Knock at the Cabin," according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The plot details are being kept under wraps right now for the Universal Pictures film, and the only cast member listed on IMDB is Bautista. Considering this is a Shyamalan film though, it's not surprising. 

Of Bautista's casting though, we have some words from Shyamalan on finding him for the role:

"I was really taken by what Denis [Villeneuve] and Dave [Bautista] did in that scene in Blade Runner [2049]. He was still in a way that was powerful ... There's a type of stillness where you're not doing nothing; you're doing everything and you're still. Every cell in your body will do what it's supposed to do if you're thinking something correctly. And Dave was embodying all of this philosophy in that scene ... I didn't know who he was at that time, and he stuck in my head. So when this script came, I was like, 'There seems to be one guy who can play this giant human being and do the stillness.' So I asked Dave."

If you haven't yet seen "Blade Runner 2049" or need a refresher (spoilers for "Blade Runner 2049" ahead!), Bautista plays the role of Sapper Morton, an older Nexus-8 replicant. He lives alone on a protein farm outside Los Angeles. He's quiet and smart, and a collector of books. K (Ryan Gosling) is supposed to retire him early in the film. On the protein farm is where K discovers Rachael's skeleton under a tree. It's not only an intense part of the film, but a major plot point. Sapper Morton is the one who saved Rachael's baby years beforehand. 

For a small role, it was memorable, and from Shyamalan's quote, it seems like this will be the sort of quiet but powerful character he plays in "Knock at the Cabin." 

What we know now is that the film is listed as coming out in February of 2023, and that (according to the interview), it was written faster than any of his other movies. The producers include Marc Bienstock, Ashwin Rajan, Steven Schneider, and Shyamalan himself.

If you have theories on what this film is going to be, make sure to send them our way @slashfilm.