Dave Bautista is keen on continuing his on-screen dominance by portraying the classic Batman antagonist Bane, and he’s not afraid to show it. No stranger to the superhero world after starring as Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the actor wants to take on the villain role of a lifetime and walked right into DC’s doorsteps to do so.
Bautista has been vocal on Twitter about his passion for Bane for several years now, but the character has not graced the big screen since The Dark Knight Rises. That hasn’t stopped him from trying, though. While discussing his new film Army of the Dead during Justice Con, Bautista revealed he went directly to DC’s offices at one point to pitch himself as the notorious Batman antagonist.
"Oh, it would be Bane all day long. I've made no secret about this. I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, 'I want to play Bane.' I'm not kidding. They were a little like 'Woah, we're not even casting Bane.' I was like 'I don't care, I'm playing him.'"
His passion for the villain is palpable, and even though Matt Reeves isn't including the character in his upcoming The Batman, it’s impossible that Bautista could land the role in a future project. He may portray a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Bautista has played villainous characters before, as he was the henchman Hinx in Spectre. His appearance in Blade Runner 2049 showed he can handle dramatic storytelling while using his physicality to his advantage, an aspect of his acting he looks to grow while reuniting with Denis Villeneuve on this year’s sci-fi epic, Dune.
While he isn't scheduled to play Bane any time soon, Bautista can next be seen in Zack Snyder’s zombie-heist extravaganza Army of the Dead, coming to Netflix on May 21, 2021.