Dave Bautista Passed On A Role In James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad
Despite initial interest, Dave Bautista turned down a role in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad so he could star in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
Dave Bautista turned down a role in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad so he could star in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. Prior to becoming an actor, Bautista was a professional wrestler with WWE. He made the transition to acting in 2006, but it wasn't until he appeared as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy that he gained worldwide recognition. Bautista has since appeared in four different MCU films, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 still to come. Outside of the MCU, Bautista has appeared in films like Spectre and Blade Runner 2049, and audiences will see him in Dune later this year.
While Bautista takes on more non-MCU roles, his Guardians of the Galaxy director Gunn is switching from the Marvel universe to DC. Gunn wrote and directed The Suicide Squad, the DCEU's second attempt at bringing the famed anti-hero team to the big screen. The Suicide Squad is being treated as a cross between a sequel and a reboot, as Gunn is taking things in an entirely different direction. At the same time, a handful of characters from 2016's Suicide Squad will make the jump to Gunn's film.
The Suicide Squad is bursting with big name stars like Idris Elba and John Cena, and evidently Bautista could have been one of them. In a new EW feature about Snyder's upcoming Army of the Dead, it's mentioned that Bautista turned down a part in The Suicide Squad just so he could appear in Snyder's film. This is particularly notable because, though Snyder offered him the part right away, Bautista initially turned it down. "I said I wasn't interested," Bautista said. "I had this chip on my shoulder and was looking for juicy [dramatic roles]. Then I read the script and it was a lot deeper and had more layers than I thought. And also, to be quite frank, I wanted to work with Zack."
Bautista will lead Army of the Dead, which is slated to premiere on Netflix this summer. Described as a zombie heist movie, Army of the Dead has been in development for years, and fans are eager to finally see it come to life. Bautista has shared his desire to transition into more dramatic roles, hence his reluctance to sign up for Snyder's project. The fact that Bautista was ultimately won over shows fans can expect more than a standard zombie flick, and it bodes well for Army of the Dead in general.
As exciting as it will be to see Bautista in Army of the Dead, it's disappointing that he missed out on the chance to reunite with Gunn for a new project. When The Suicide Squad was first announced, Bautista shared his interest in joining it, and clearly that interest nearly solidified into a role. Ultimately, however, Bautista chose something new. This does leave one question though: Who would he have played if he went with The Suicide Squad? Let the speculation begin!
Source: EW