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Dave Bautista begged Warner Bros. to let him play Bane: 'At least I gave it a shot'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 4/21/21

Dave Bautista has starred as Drax across four films since Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters in 2014, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 currently in pre-production, but the former professional wrestler still has his eyes set on a different character.

The 52-year-old stopped by Justice Con 2021 over the weekend to promote Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (due out May 21), in which he plays Scott Ward:

The approximately 40-minute conversation touched on Bautista's dream to someday portray Bane, however, after a fan asked him which DC Universe character he would choose to play.

"Oh, it would be Bane," Bautista said. "All day long. I've made no secret about this. I want to play Bane so bad. I wanna play Bane so bad [that] I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, 'I wanna play Bane!' [laughs] I'm not kidding. They were a little like, 'Whoa. We're not even casting Bane.' I was like, 'I don't care! I'm playing him!'"

Bautista said he would settle for Lobo, but Bane is undoubtedly his "dream character."

In case you still don't take his dedication seriously, Bautista re-confirmed his desire by tweeting "at least I gave it a shot" alongside a photo of him at the Warner Bros. office:

I wasn’t joking. But in all honesty they did have a good giggle and show me the exit. .. at least I gave it a shot. ‍♂️My life seems to be a continuing mission to find an alternative route to get to where I want to be. I’m good with that.. #DreamChaser https://t.co/hRpfwIdvWg pic.twitter.com/5PTG06M47C
— The Artist Formerly Known as Super Duper Dave (@DaveBautista) April 20, 2021

Earlier in the discussion, though Bautista did make it clear that he is thankful for Drax:

"I literally broke down in tears because, you know, I really had to fight for that role. It took me months of auditioning and screen tests, and I was driving—I was on my way to the gym—when I got the call. ... I thought they were calling to tell me that I didn't have the role, so my heart just started beating and beating, then when they told me I had the role—I'm getting emotional thinking about it, but I just literally broke down. For one, I knew that it was gonna get me where I needed to be. At that point, I was broke. I had lost everything I had made in wrestling. I lost all my money. I lost my home. I lost everything. I was so desperate."

In other words, bet against Bautista at your own risk.

Watch Bautista's full Justice Con interview below.