Fil-Am Actor Dave Bautista Won’t Play Bane In James Gunn’s DC Reboot

Dave Bautista admitted that he would not be playing the Batman villain Bane in James Gunn’s upcoming DC films.

In 2021, he announced that he lobbied Warner Bros. for a chance to play the famous role. Unfortunately, the director has other plans. 

The actor said that Gunn wants to reboot the comic movie universe with younger actors. More importantly, Bautista has other plans for the next 15 years.

Why won’t Dave Bautista play Bane?

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Most people remember Bane as the muscular bad guy from Dark Knight Rises, starring Christian Bale as Batman. 

He was an imposing, muscular figure, always wearing his signature mask. One look at the character, and you would probably assign equally buff actors like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Dave Bautista thought the same, so he allegedly asked Warner Bros. to let him play Bane in subsequent Batman films. 

He even spoke with James Gunn about being part of his upcoming DC movies. However, he told Variety that the director had other plans: 

“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. I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch.”

Moreover, the former WWE wrestler admitted that he could not bring justice to Bane at this point in his career:

“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.”

Dave Bautista’s days in superhero flicks are probably behind him. After all, he said goodbye to his year-long role as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” he said. “But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role,” Bautista added.

More importantly, he told GQ that he wanted to play more dramatic roles. “I don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy. It’s a silly performance,” the actor added.

What is the Fil-Am actor’s long-term goal?

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Comparing Dave Bautista with the equally built film star The Rock is easy. After all, many people thought someone like Dwayne Johnson could play Bane too.

Moreover, they were both prominent WWE wrestlers. Contrary to popular belief, Bautista did not leave that profession for an acting career merely to take his place.

“I never wanted to be the next Rock,” Dave Bautista stated during a GQ interview. He said, “I was [the face of] ‘SmackDown.’ He [John Cena] was ‘Raw.’”

“I felt like I was coming into my own as a wrestler,” Bautista added. However, Cena was gaining opportunities as a film star that he also wanted to achieve.

Consequently, he left WWE in 2010 to become an actor. Yet, Dave Bautista told GQ, “I don’t care about the spotlight. I don’t care about fame.”

“I just want to be a better actor. It’s about the experience, about knowing that I accomplished something.”