Dave Bautista is a recognizable name in the industry that’s played a major part in several blockbusters to hit big at both the box office and on streaming, but he still hasn’t been able to drag Gears of War out of development hell and make it a reality.
The first stab at adapting the iconic video game franchise for the big screen came in 2007 when Underworld‘s Len Wiseman was attached, but it never gained much traction. Several further attempts all stalled, and we’ve not heard a real update on a live-action Gears of War project for well over two years.
Bautista even admitted that he instantly shut down Universal’s pitch for him join the Fast & Furious franchise by saying he wanted to do Gears of War instead, and we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us Ben Kingsley would return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings long before it was confirmed – that the actor still hasn’t given up the ghost.
We’ve heard chatter in the past about Netflix potentially picking up the rights, and the platform’s head of original film Scott Stuber was coincidentally set to produce Gears of War when it was in the works over at Universal. Bautista knows the company well having headlined Army of the Dead and recently wrapped Knives Out 2, so maybe we could see it brought to life as a movie or TV show on streaming should the current rights holders be willing to play ball.
