Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista has accepted that the ship has likely sailed on him playing the iconic DC role of Bane.

“I was like, ‘I don’t care, I’m playing him,'” he said at the time. The final film in the series, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. “I’ve made no secret about this,” the actor said in an appearance at Justice Con, “And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don’t want to play a character that I can’t bring justice to it. Bautista has been vocal on Twitter for years about his desire to play Bane — who was most recently portrayed by Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s 2012 blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises. I don’t think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore.

Though his Guardians of the Galaxy director is now in charge of DC Films, the actor won't get to fulfill his dream of playing Bane, Batman's back-breaking ...

Night Shyamalan](https://ew.com/person/m-night-shyamalan/)'s upcoming thriller [Knock at the Cabin](https://ew.com/movies/m-night-shyamalan-knock-at-the-cabin-trailer/). 3](https://ew.com/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-trailer/) later this year. [He doesn't sound too sad about it, either.](https://www.gq.com/story/gq-hype-dave-bautista) "It wasn't all pleasant. That was before [James Gunn](https://ew.com/person/james-gunn/), who worked with Bautista on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies, became DC's [shepherd of superheroes](https://ew.com/movies/james-gunn-dc-studios-co-chair/), so he tried it again once his previous collaborator was in place. I just don't know if I could handle the physical part, and I don't think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films." [told an audience at Justice Con](https://collider.com/dave-bautista-bane-warner-bros-dc/) that he had personally lobbied Warner Bros.

Despite his efforts, Dave Bautista has come to the realization that he will never play DC Comics villain Bane. That was confirmed, he said, in conversations ...

"I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door, and said, 'I want to play Bane.' I'm not kidding. [Christopher Nolan](https://www.insider.com/christopher-nolan-movies-ranked-worst-best)'s 2012 "The Dark Knight Rises." "I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors," Bautista, 54, continued. [in 2021](https://www.insider.com/dave-bautista-told-warner-bros-wants-to-play-bane-2021-4), Bautista revealed that he put Warner Bros. "You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don't think you can do that with me. And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don't want to play a character that I can't bring justice to it.

Marvel star Dave Bautista pulled back on his potential hopes to play an iconic Batman villain.

[Gunn looking to almost completely reboot the DCU from scratch](https://thedirect.com/article/dc-studios-dcu-future-claims), bringing in a crop of younger and lesser-known actors to embody DC's biggest names. And with Bautista nearing his mid-50s, even for the incredible shape he's able to maintain, this role might be a little bit too tough for him to do the way he would ideally do it at this stage. And while that's still the case now, there's a good chance that the Batman antagonist does have a place somewhere in the new DCU. [Guardians 3 will almost definitely be his final MCU appearance](https://thedirect.com/article/dave-bautista-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3-drax-end) as [Drax](https://thedirect.com/tags/drax/), and he’s mentioned that the DCU is a franchise he’d love to join someday. I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, ‘I want to play Bane.’ I’m not kidding. “I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors.You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. He loved the idea of bulking up for the role, showing the character’s terrifying physical nature while having him be “freakishly intelligent” and never having to really yell or lash out at opponents: Theories have already been thrown out for roles that actors like [Chris Pratt](https://thedirect.com/article/chris-pratt-dc-characters-play-james-gunn) and [Zoe Saldaña](https://thedirect.com/article/zoe-saldana-dc-characters-james-gunn) could take on, with another big name being on the table in Dave Bautista as well. I could...play Bane in a way that’s not only menacing and ominous but also freakishly intelligent. Admitting that he doesn't see himself being able to handle the physicality or "bring justice to Bane anymore" at this stage of his life, he respects the direction Gunn is taking and appreciates that his longtime director wants to do things the right way: and told them point-blank about his ambitions, even at a time when the role wasn’t being cast: And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don’t want to play a character that I can’t bring justice to it.

Looking into the strongest competitor's forays into film. We look at Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dave Bautista's respective careers.

Night Shymalan in Knock at the Cabin (2023)](https://movieweb.com/dave-bautista-gives-one-of-the-best-performances-of-the-year-in-knock-at-the-cabin-says-m-night-shyamalan/). Bautista would have years to hone his skills in independent films before he had his breakthrough appearing as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). (2009), and even performing in The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2011). Critics would point to the less-than-stellar CGI technology for the time as hindering the Rock's performance but the studio still elected to have him reprise his role for the spinoff film The Scorpion King (2002). Dwayne Johnson would become one of the first wrestlers to star in a major franchise, having appeared as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001). The Rock would go on to win the Intercontinental title, carry the Tag Team titles with multiple partners (most notably, Mankind in the Rock & Sock Connection), and hold a World championship ten times.

Millions of comic fans are currently sitting around waiting for James Gunn and Peter Safran to unveil their grand reboot plan for the DC Universe, ...

"I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors. It also seems like DC will heavily slim down alternate “multiverse” alternatives with the Arrowverse ending and shows like Titans and Doom Patrol cancelled. I think the main point is something we all know is likely true, that the old DCEU and its major pieces are dead, started by Snyder, mangled by Whedon, surviving a coup by The Rock, and all of that is likely over. You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don't think you can do that with me. I’m not sure about the whole age disqualifier thing either, as some characters are just…going to be older. I just don't know if I could handle the physical part, and I don't think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films.

Dave Bautista ne sera pas Bane dans le DCU. Après avoir révélé son intérêt pour le personnage à la JusticeCon en 2021, l'ancien catcheur et acteur Bautista.

Bautista s’est déjà fait à cette idée, car d’après lui, il ne pourra pas rendre justice au personnage à cause de son âge (54 ans) : « Je ne pense pas qu’à ce stade de ma carrière je puisse rendre justice à Bane. Je pense que pour faire revivre l’univers DC, il faut repartir de zéro, et je pense qu’il faut commencer avec des acteurs plus jeunes. Vous devez commencer à planifier pour les 15 prochaines années, et je ne pense pas que vous puissiez faire ça avec moi.

In an interview with Insider, Bautista explained why he's given up on his crusade to convince DC bosses to give him the part. For one thing, he's spoken to new ...

“I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors,” Bautista continued in the recent Insider interview. Bruce Wayne (Bale) is forced to put back on the Batman cape as Gotham’s protector in order to thwart their plan and save Gotham. “You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, ‘I want to play Bane,'” Bautista said at Justice Con in 2021, via I was born in it.” I just don’t know if I could handle the physical part, and I don’t think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films.

Dave Bautista wants to play Bane, but he realizes James Gunn's DC Universe is a young man's game.

[Shazam!](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/shazam-fury-of-the-gods-2023) movie on the horizon and the infamous [Flash](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/the-flash-2023) film later this year (and Jason Momoa says he’ll “ [always be Aquaman](https://www.avclub.com/jason-momoa-tempts-the-gods-says-hell-always-be-aquam-1850014417)”). As I’ve always done, some will be brand new faces, some will be actors I’ve worked with before, & some will be actors you know who I’ve never worked with,” he [wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1616873804621582336?s=20&t=86X70rYOtn4JaGBitjE1tQ). “I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors. You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. 3](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-2023) director. Fans are proposing theories; congressmen are [demanding answers](https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1619851629133709312?s=20&t=86X70rYOtn4JaGBitjE1tQ); actors are pitching themselves on big characters.

The wrestler-turned-actor has long dreamed of playing the classic Batman villain, but it's no longer in the cards under James Gunn's new DC universe.

3](https://www.gq.com/story/guardians-of-the-galaxy-3-trailer), as well as M. [Justice Con panel in 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaMmyibkyqk) about the extent he was willing to go to try and secure the role. [not bringing Henry Cavill back as Superman](https://www.gq.com/story/henry-cavill-not-returning-as-superman-james-gunn). [told Insider](https://www.insider.com/dave-bautista-never-going-to-play-bane-2023-1) recently about his desire to play the classic Batman villain, but admitted that the door on that possibility has definitively been shut as James Gunn steps in to steer the DC film universe. “I don't think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore. Dave Bautista, on the other hand, could probably walk right onto the set and be ready to go.