Dave Bautista is "up for anything" in James Gunn's DCU, but there was one role he became "obsessed" with

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"I'd really be up for anything"

Dave Bautista as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Dave Bautista has revealed that he's up for playing any role in James Gunn's new DCU, but he's "struggling" to find a place for himself – although there is one role that he's been thinking about a lot.  

"When I was younger, I wanted to play Bane; it was like a dream role for me," Bautista told ScreenRant. "And I got to a point in my career where I just felt like I was just too old to play Bane. I think the physicality of it, at this point in my career and my life, I just wouldn't be able to do the character justice. And then I saw somewhere online that someone posted something of me playing Lex Luthor; an older Lex Luthor. I kind of became obsessed with that idea. Obviously, they moved on from that idea, so at this point, I'm struggling to find my place in the DC universe. But I'd really be up for anything."

Bautista previously worked with Gunn on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, in which he played Drax the Destroyer, a warrior-turned-Guardian. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, released last year, was the actor's last appearance in the role.

Meanwhile, the first big-screen installment in DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters is Superman, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, which is set to fly onto the big screen in 2025. However, our first taste of Gunn's new universe will be the animated series Creature Commandos, which premieres on Max later this year.  

While we wait for the DCU to kick off, check out our guide to all the upcoming superhero movies on the way in 2024 and beyond. 

Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.