Amazon Studios' upcoming film The Wrecking Crew does something amazing: it brings together two iconic actors, Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa, and lets them deliver a fun dynamic as dysfunctional brothers. Bautista plays James, while Momoa plays Jonny, two siblings forced back into each other's lives as they investigate the mysterious circumstances of their father's sudden death in Hawaii.
The Direct sat down with The Wrecking Crew director Angel Manuel Soto, who explained why those two famous actors (who are most well known as Drax in the MCU and Aquaman in the DCU) make for the perfect unexpected brothers.
Soto explained that "what you see on the page is probably like an exaggerated version of who they are in real life." The director elaborated that "Dave is quiet" and "gentle," while "Jason is loud and wild."
"Those two things, like oil and water, I think, make something very special, especially for conflict and for drama" Soto added, noting how "it also makes it more impactful when those two differences find a cathartic moment to work together."
Alongside Soto, The Direct also spoke with The Wrecking Crew writer Jonathan Tropper, alongside stars Morena Baccarin (Valentina) and Jacob Batalon (Pika). The full interview can be read and viewed below. The Wrecking Crew lands in theaters on January 28, 2026.
The Wrecking Crew Director Explains Why Dave Bautista & Jason Momoa Make for Perfect Brothers
"Opposites Make a Very Powerful Magnet."
- The Direct: "The dynamic between Jason and Dave [was] very unexpected, but it works so well. So in your own words, why were they the perfect actors for this role, and that brother dynamic?"
Angel Manuel Soto: I think, besides the fact that they came up with this idea of them working together, and if you have seen the TV show 'See,' you can see why... What works for me very well is that what you see on the page is probably like an exaggerated version of who they are in real life. Dave is quiet, gentle. Jason is loud and wild.
And those two things, like oil and water, I think, make something very special, especially for conflict and for drama, but it also makes it more impactful when those two differences find a cathartic moment to work together. And you see, you can still have two different people achieving the same goal once they leave their differences aside without changing their personalities. So, I think that organically and historically, those types of opposites make a very powerful magnet.
Jonathan Tropper, who wrote The Wrecking Crew, and previously worked with both Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista on Apple TV+'s See, further elaborated on why the actor's brotherly dynamic worked so well in a comedy:
Jonathan Tropper: This isn't the first time I've worked with them, or that they played brothers. So on my show 'See,' they were brothers, and so I got to know them both pretty well through that process. And what you don't see in 'See,' which we got to see when we weren't shooting, is just how funny they are and how much they love comedy.
And I think what makes their dynamic really work, aside from a genuine affection for each other, is the fact that Jason is such a larger-than-life personality and Dave is very reserved and quiet. And so when those two bang off of each other, you have this really larger-than-life, loud, unfiltered personality being checked by this laconic, disciplined, quiet personality...
In writing the script, it was, 'How do these guys both take the piss out of each other in different ways?' And with Jason, it's a lot of teasing and insulting and pushing and prodding, and with David, it's looks, and it's much quicker reactions. And you know, just like Dave could cut you down with three words, right, Jason could be teasing you for half a block, and then Dave just says three words, right? And the way that they just frustrate each other because of that difference in their personality, it's like Dave wishes Jason would just shut up, and Jason wishes Dave would speak. And so I think that's sort of where it all comes from.
Morena Baccarin on Putting Jason Momoa in His Place for The Wrecking Crew
"It Was So Fun."
- The Direct: "Morena, you play Valentina, and you get to put Jason [Momoa] in his place several times throughout this movie. What was it like getting to do that and just getting to play that dynamic with him?"
Morena Baccarin: It was so fun. I mean, in life, I tend to be that person, but I got to do it to an extreme in this, and he's so willing to be big and boisterous and just go there. So our dynamic was super fun. I love that you have to, kind of like, rack your brains to be like, how did these two ever—How did this ever work?
But in the weird way, you see them working together, and you kind of want it? It's very bizarre. They're so different surfaces, but there's something there. There's like some chemical reaction there that makes them love and hate. Well, he just loves her, but she's just, like, a love-hate relationship.
Writer Jonathan Tropper weighed in on creating Valentina, giving lots of praise to Morena Baccarin:
Jonathan Tropper: Jason had said from the beginning [that] he thinks his character should have this Latina girlfriend who just like can totally knock the wind out of him, over and over again. And if I had known we were going to get Morena [Baccarin], I would have written a lot more to it... I would have probably had her in the second act too... But it was just a lot of fun to write his Achilles heel. And also, the thing that really humanizes him is his love for this woman. And one can only imagine that Jonny, he's a pretty frustrating boyfriend to have.
Jacob Batalon on Working With The Wrecking Crew's Stunt Team
"The Entire Stunt Team Is Really Great."
- The Direct: "There is a really fun parkour scene with your character. How much of that did you get to do? What was it like filming that chase scene?"
Jacob Batalon: I got up to the part where I get up behind the car, [that's] basically all I do... I did do the whole thing in my mind, yeah, that's propelled me to get up from behind the bar (laughs). But it was like the really amazing stunt team, and my stunt guy did a lot of hard work on it for me, and it was just a really cool thing to really be a part of, just to kind of watch him, kind of just like, go crazy. And it was really fun to just—I mean, the entire stunt team is really great. So that was definitely not me, and I will not take credit for it.
The rest of The Direct’s interviews with the cast of The Wrecking Crew can be viewed below:
