Dave Bautista’s performance in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has turned Drax the Destroyer from a B-list Marvel hero into a breakout star. Now it sounds like the wrestler-turned-actor would love to take a swing at bringing one of DC’s most popular bad guys to life in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
This news comes from Bautista himself, who responded to a fan tweet suggesting he play Bane in an upcoming DCEU movie with a heartily “I accept!”
I accept! https://t.co/ts6DnBvj8W
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) June 12, 2019
For a short time, Bane was rumored to be a new addition to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which Bautista was attached to star in before scheduling conflicts forced him to drop out. Considering most actors are careful not to divulge any information from unreleased projects, it’s likely this means Bane was never on Gunn’s radar, least Bautista ruin the surprise nearly a year before its release.
It’s interesting to note though that a Bane Easter Egg was dropped into the concept art of David Ayer’s first Suicide Squad film, so even if he doesn’t pop up in Gunn’s next movie or Matt Reeves’ upcoming Batman standalone, it seems like the character is on Warner Bros.’ radar.
After all, Bane is no stranger to the big screen. The bulky brute first appeared in 1997’s Batman & Robin, only four short years after his comic book debut. However, instead of being portrayed as one of Gotham’s most intelligent and fearsome villains, Bane was reduced to a hulking green henchman that could barely speak.
Tom Hardy gave the character a shot at redemption over a decade later, in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, in which he somewhat faithfully brought the man who broke the bat to life, give or take a few changes to his origin story. This second portrayal was much better received and turned Bane into a household name, and not just because of Hardy’s easy-to-mock speech pattern.
Tell us, though, would you like to see Bautista bring Bane to life in The Batman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!