While Dave Bautista's time playing Drax in the MCU is nearing its end, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn may have a job lined up for the actor in the new DC Universe (DCU).
The current version of the Guardians team will enjoy their final run as a unit in this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before James Gunn leaves Marvel for his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios. It's also expected that at least one of this movie's leading stars will meet their end by the conclusion of the story, with many thinking that Dave Bautista specifically won't be seen as Drax again after this year.
Gunn already made it clear that there will be a place for his Guardians cast in the DCU, specifically highlighting Bautista for a potential role along with other co-stars like Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldaña.
Now, with Gunn's plans for the new DCU coming into formation, Bautista has shared his own hopes to make that idea a reality.
Dave Bautista Wants to Move From Marvel to DC
Joining the Phase Zero Podcast from ComicBook.com, Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista touched on director James Gunn's transition to the DC Universe as he takes the job as DC Studios co-CEO.
Host Brandon Davis asked Bautista if he would discuss a DC role with Gunn, although the actor doesn't like the idea of immediately calling up his former director and asking about a potential role.
Davis: “Your boy, James Gunn. He’s going over to DC. Have you talked at all about– I know he wants to bring some familiar faces. Would you talk to him about that?”
Bautista: “I would talk to him about that. But, I haven’t. No, I haven’t. And I definitely don’t want to be that guy. I was afraid of being that guy. Like I didn’t want to be the guy calling him up and saying, ‘Hey, congratulations. So, now that you’re at DC, so what’s gonna–’ You know, I was afraid that he would think that that’s what that call was about… I have talked to him since then, but it was really concerning Guardians 3 and not… I won’t bring up DC.
While things are going well for Bautista's career right now, he made it clear that he "would love to be a part of the DC universe" should he get that call from Gunn:
"If there’s something he’s interested in me for over there, I’m sure he’ll let me know. But otherwise, my career is going okay. And more than anything, he’s a friend. He’s someone I love. So I don’t… I don’t expect to get a call and I’m not expecting a part. But I would love to be a part of the DC universe. But you know, if the call comes, it comes."
Will Dave Bautista Join the DC Universe Someday?
Looking at the relationships that Gunn's built with his stars from the Guardians trilogy and the MCU as a whole, it seems almost certain that some of them will be in line for roles in his newly-revamped DCU when those plans are announced. Dave Bautista didn't hold back in saying that he would love it if he got his own place in the franchise, although it's still a mystery what he would do with that opportunity.
In another recent interview, Bautista noted that he isn't in the running to play iconic Batman villain Bane anymore, with Gunn looking for a younger cast to take on these big characters in the new story.
But even though he won't embody that hulking villain, there are still dozens of other options for the former wrestler-turned-action-star to take on under Gunn's leadership.
Gunn and his partner Peter Safran are only a short time from announcing their plans for the upcoming DCU slate, which is said to cover the next decade for Warner Bros.' superhero saga. Whether Bautista joins that slate in any role is unknown, but it appears that he and Gunn both want it to happen sooner rather than later.
James Gunn and Dave Bautista's efforts on Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will come to theaters on May 5.
