The DCEU has its fair share of interesting heroes and villains, with a plethora of characters being adapted on screen throughout the years. From Margot Robbie's impressive portrayal of Harley Quinn to Ben Affleck's strong outing as Batman, the up-and-coming superhero franchise has showcased stunning performances.
Still, there are still characters that have yet to debut in the live-action franchise, one of them being Bane. The venom-infused villain has been a major staple in several Batman films in the past, including a memorable iteration played by Tom Hardy during 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.
Many would agree that Hardy's Bane is one of the most iconic portrayals of the villain in live-action, especially after he pushed Christian Bale's Batman to the limit in the threequel. As for the DCEU, the famed villain has yet to make an impact. However, there's one veteran actor that appears to have a firm vision for the character's future debut in the series.
DAVE BAUTISTA COMMENTS ON HIS VERSION OF BANE
In an interview with Collider, Dave Bautista opened up about his vision for Bane in the DCEU.
While acknowledging Tom Hardy's version from The Dark Knight Rises, The Army of the Dead and MCU actor revealed why he is keen on taking the role. He admitted that there are certain characters that he “latched on to over the past 10, 20 years,” and the Batman villain was definitely one of them:
“There are certain characters I’ve latched on to over the past 10, 20 years, and Bane was one of them. No discredit to Tom Hardy’s version of Bane, I love that performance, I loved that film. I’d just love a crack at it.”
Bautista then claimed that he could “bring an interesting twist” to the Bane character, pointing out that he can play the villain “in a way that's not only menacing and ominous but also freakishly intelligent:”
“I think I could bring an interesting twist to it and I think I could do the character justice. Not only in performance, but also in physicality. I’d love that role where I’d have to go back up to 320 pounds just to play this character, like that it would happen. I could...play Bane in a way that’s not only menacing and ominous but also freakishly intelligent. Bane would be the type of character that’s so menacing and so terrifying and so intelligent, he would hardly ever raise his voice.”
WILL FANS SEE BANE IN THE DCEU ANYTIME SOON?
It's safe to say that Bautista really wants to play Bane in a future DC project, and his latest comments further amplify that notion. It's good that he acknowledged the previous portrayal of Tom Hardy during the Christopher Nolan-directed film, but it seems that Bautista will look to create his own mark for the villain.
The MCU actor has been very active about campaigning for the role of Bane on social media and interviews, even admitting that he once made an appointment with DC to try and persuade them to give him the role. In a previous spotlight interview during Justice Con, Bautista reiterated that it's “Bane all day long” while also sharing the funny story inside the DC office:
“Oh, it would be Bane all day long. I've made no secret about this. 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. They were a little like 'Woah, we're not even casting Bane.' I was like "I don't care, I'm playing him.'
It's always a good sign when an actor is excited for a role even if he's not cast in it, and Bautista's vision for playing the character should reassure fans that his version would be a must-see down the road.
Playing a Bane who's “not only menacing and ominous but also freakishly intelligent” will definitely serve as a challenge to any iteration of Batman, and the added bravado of Bautista will help in achieving that portrayal.
It was rumored that a project centered on Bane was pitched to the higher-ups of Warner Bros., but there was no further update about that claim.
If the studio decides to move forward with the villain-centric spinoff, then it's reasonable to assume that Bautista will be the top choice for the role.
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