Dave Bautista Has Given Up His Pursuit To Play One Of DC's Most Iconic Villains

Feb 2

Dave Bautista has ended his campaign to play Bane, though how he exactly came to such a conclusion is unclear. He claimed this was through conversations with his Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, but according to his publicist, Danica Smith, these were conversations over a period of ten years (which seems like they’d date back to the earliest of Guardians’ production) before Gunn becoming DC Studios co-CEO in November.

Whether it was through conversations or just rumblings he’s heard, Bautista has observed Gunn’s direction, and the time it will take to build the universe. With it starting younger and fresher, while he’s nearing 55, he wouldn’t be able to fit in. He sees his presence in a decade of Marvel Studios’ first 15 years, as well as DC’s plans, but he doesn’t feel it’s going to work. He says “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.” The former wrestler doesn’t think he can make the physical commitment anymore either.

His efforts to play Bane seem to have started with The Batman as the intended avenue, with reports calling it by its eventual director Matt Reeves, so it’s unknown whether he was considering it while Ben Affleck was still attached. Even still, marked by Reeves’s involvement, that still places it as far back as 2017. Bautista wraps up his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 on May 5.

Source: Insider, MovieWeb

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