Dave Bautista Pitched Warner Bros. to Let Him Play Bane
Dave Bautista is already a legitimate superhero. But that’s not enough. He wants to be a super-villain too.
(Dave Bautista contains multitudes.)
In an appearance at the virtual Justice Con this month, Bautista revealed one of his biggest dream roles: DC baddie Bane. The character, best known in comics as the guy who broke Batman’s bake during the ’90s storyline “Knightfall,” has previously appeared onscreen in Batman & Robin (where he was played by Jeep Swenson, another pro wrestler turned actor) and in The Dark Knight Rises (where he was played by Tom Hardy). Apparently, Bautista’s a big fan.
He’s such a fan, in fact, that he’s insistent he’s the only guy who could play Bane (besides, y’know, those other two guys who already did it). He’s actually taken meetings with Warner Bros. where he pitched himself as the character.
"I’ve made no secret about this,” Bautista said. “I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros. ... walked in the door and said, ‘I want to play Bane.’ 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.’
So far, Bautista’s Bane campaign (or cambane, if you will) has proven unsuccessful. But who knows? If Robert Pattinson’s The Batman takes off, perhaps he could square off with Bane in the sequel, 2 Bat 2 Man. In the meantime, Bautista stars in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, which premieres on Netflix on May 21. And he’ll be seen again as Marvel‘s Drax in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Watch Bautista’s full Justice Con appearance below:
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