One step closer to the ultimate dream casting? Dave Bautista has put his name forward for involvement in Netflix's recently announced Gears of War movie, which is currently in development. And he's got his eyes on the main character, Marcus Fenix.
Taking to Instagram, the actor uploaded an old promo clip of himself wearing the signature armor of the game's lead character, Fenix, and shared the video to Twitter as well for maximum exposure. His words were short and sweet, captioning the video: "I can't make this any easier." Bautista has a long relationship with Gears of War, previously lending his likeness to Microsoft to allow players the chance to unlock a character based on him for the sequel's multiplayer modes, while players can use the character as part of the current installment, Gears of War 5.
Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski had, just days ago, shared his support for Bautista to take on the role. Bleszinski took to Twitter to give his thoughts on the Netflix announcement, and endorsed Bautista, saying "Yes, Bautista as Marcus please." Bleszinski then doubled down today, in response to Bautista's tweet, saying "Brother, as the designer of 1, 2, and 3, you're my first choice."
Bautista's relationship with the franchise goes even beyond lending his likeness and being a fan. The actor previously revealed to Collider that he turned down a role in the blockbuster Fast and Furious franchise during a meeting, to pitch a Gears movie to Universal instead. The studio didn't go for it then, but it looks like the former WWE superstar is going to get his wish. Additionally, Bautista has a strong working relationship with Netflix already. He will next be seen in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery for the streamer, having previously filmed Army of the Dead for them - turning down Suicide Squad in the process. Furthermore, he was reported to be in talks to star in Unleashed, a cop-and-dog story.
The Gears of War adaptation is part of a spate of other video game adaptations Netflix is currently working on. They have a movie based on Bioshock, an Assassin's Creed series planned, and an adaptation is currently in development for the stunning Horizon Zero Dawn series. But it's no gamble for Netflix to take on Bautista. His star power would propel the Gears adaptation to the top of the priority list and give fans the signal that this would be a prospect worth waiting for.
Fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for this one to happen, but in the meantime, you can check out Bautista in the Glass Onion trailer below.