The way Hollywood gossip tends to work is that if an actor or actress publicly names a role they’d love to play, then in virtually no time at all rumors will begin springing up everywhere that coincidentally link them to that very part.
Dave Bautista and Bane is a notable example, with the Guardians of the Galaxy star being pretty vocal dating back years that he wants to portray Bane the next time the character is being brought to life, whether it’s in a Batman-related project or not. We’ve since heard tales that he was in talks on more than one occasion, but officially his involvement with the hulking villain remains that one time he met with Warner Bros. for a completely different movie and decided to tell them he wanted Bane instead.
However, insider Daniel Richtman now reports that the 52 year-old wants in on Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise, even if Bane isn’t part of it. Further details remain thin on the ground, and the former professional wrestler did admit that Clayface is another one of the Caped Crusader’s nemeses he’d be open to inhabiting, but Basil Karlo’s big beige alter ego feels a little too fantastical for the grounded and gritty aesthetic that the first trailer indicated Reeves and Robert Pattinson were aiming for.
That being said, given his steadily-rising profile in the industry and pre-established working relationship with Warner Bros. that saw them collaborate on Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 and Dune among others, seeing Dave Bautista pitch up in a future sequel to The Batman as Bane or somebody else is far from the most ridiculous thing we’ve ever heard, and we even know how he’d approach the character.
