The first Escape Plan finally had Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger teaming up on the big screen, and that novelty factor helped the pic earn nearly $140 million at the box office. Schwarzenegger declined to return for the sequel though and in his place, Dave Bautista was drafted in, with the series in need of another notable action star to replace him.
Unfortunately, though, Escape Plan 2 – and Escape Plan 3 (which also starred Bautista) – were both awful, which kind of makes you wonder why the Guardians of the Galaxy actor even signed on for the franchise in the first place. We’re sure that the paycheck certainly helped, but while speaking to Michael Rosenbaum on his Inside of You podcast, Bautista also admitted that it was because of the opportunity to work with Stallone that he took the gig.
“I took this job – I wasn’t crazy about the job – but I took it because I wanted to work with Stallone,” Bautista explained. “Our first scene together, I got in and sat with Stallone, and I said ‘Look man, I’m not going to be a fanboy today. But tomorrow, I’m probably going to ask you a hundred questions.’ And before we finish that scene, I had already contradicted myself, and I just wanted to ask question after question.”
Fair enough. After all, Bautista is still pretty fresh when it comes to acting and doesn’t have a ton of credits to his name. So, it’s understandable that at this stage in his career, he’d jump at the chance to work with a legend like Stallone. Even if it means signing on for a truly terrible film – and its sequel.
But even the best actors make stinkers some times and we doubt anyone will hold Escape Plan 2 and its follow-up against Dave Bautista. Especially since he’s usually pretty entertaining and enjoyable to watch, even when saddled with a horrible script.
Of course, it’s looking like he’ll get to work with Stallone again in the near future, too, as the Rambo star is expected to reprise his role as Stakar in Guardians Vol. 3. With any luck, the two of them will get to share some scenes in the film.
