When you’re a Hollywood star, you just can’t do anything without people trying to connect the dots and create a story, can you? Like, is Dave Bautista not allowed to sit in James Gunn’s parking spot without it meaning he wants to join the DCU??
Well, OK, that does sound a bit suspicious, actually. With James Gunn now at the head of the nascent DCU, everyone who wants to be a superhero (or villain) will be looking to become his best friend as they hunt for a role in any of the upcoming DC movies. Luckily for Bautista, he has a head start, having worked with Gunn as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast.
So, when the actor shared a photo of himself occupying Gunn’s parking spot on Instagram, fans started speculating about which DC character Bautista was being lined up to play.
Most of the fan casting has gone down the route of various Batman villains, from Bane to Hugo Strange. On the former, Bautista himself has already admitted that the DCU needs to hire “younger actors” and effectively ruled himself out of being the man behind the mask.
Strange is a great idea though. Not only would it give Bautista the chance to don a pair of glasses, which he clearly seems to love doing (see Blade Runner 2049, and Knock at the Cabin), but it would allow him to step away from the more physical roles he has become typecast for, and let his creepy side out some more.
Bautista is a genuinely fascinating actor, who has done some of his finest work when he’s going against the grain, and I can totally see him playing a sadistic doctor conducting wild experiments in Gotham City. Strange also has close ties with the Court of Owls who, although not confirmed, are rumored to be the DC villains at the heart of events in The Batman 2 and beyond, so it could all be falling into place.
However, it really is worth noting that Bautista has spoken candidly about his desire to step away from action movies and be seen “in a different light.” I’m not so sure he would want to step into the world of superhero movies again — even for a brief adventure as a villain — and distract himself from finding more substantial, serious roles in the industry.
If he does, I’ll be all for it and I’m sure he would smash it. But, I expect Bautista’s little visit to Gunn was more a friendly call as opposed to discussing the new movies in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Speaking of which, here’s what we know about Superman Legacy and the Aquaman 2 release date.