Sometimes an actor believes they are meant to play a role and that’s certainly the case with Dave Bautista his dream of being cast as DC’s next Bane.
Casting Dave Bautista as Bane in a DC production would be perfect and there are plenty of good reasons why, but whether or not it will happen remains to be seen. Dave Bautista, the WWE superstar who most recently led the cast of Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, has proven himself to be a fan-favorite actor. Bautista has been a favorite ever since he secured his place in Hollywood by portraying Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy. Following that success, Bautista, like John Cena and Dwayne Johnson, has continued to prove himself as a capable actor.
However, unlike John Cena and Dwayne Johnson, Bautista has yet to be cast by Warner Bros. in a DC project, though not for lack of trying. For those who are unaware, Dave Bautista has been quite vocal in his desire to be a part of a future DC movie. In April 2021, the actor revealed at Justice Con (via Screen Rant) that he had marched into DC’s offices to declare his intentions to play Bane. Though they were not casting Bane at the time, he made it clear he was their guy.
Though Bane has not graced the silver screen since Tom Hardy put on the mask in The Dark Knight Rises, a steampunk version of the character did appear in the final season of Gotham. Consequently, it is time to bring back a character who has yet to be fully explored on screen. Furthermore, if DC does move forward with a project involving Bane, they can rest easy knowing they have a very willing candidate for the role. In fact, not only does DC have someone who is willing, they have a theatrical wrestling icon who couldn’t be more perfect for the role.
As a former WWE superstar standing at 6’6” and 287 pounds, there is no reason to think Dave Bautista would not excel as Bane. At this height, Bautista dwarfs Tom Hardy’s Bane and would tower over any actor who has ever put on the cowl. Bautista’s sheer size would bring a sense of brute force to the role in addition to his decades of experience as a professional wrestler. Moreover, Bautista’s passion for the character would shine through in an intimidating performance. Physicality and passion for the character aside, Bautista has demonstrated the acting chops required to pull off the iconic Batman villain.
Dave Bautista’s Drax is the role most associated with the actor, but it’s not the role that best showcases his aptitude to play Bane. That role would likely be Bautista’s appearance in Blade Runner 2049. In that movie, Bautista plays a wanted replicant who is confronted by Ryan Gosling’s K. The performance delivered by Bautista in the film is essentially everything one would want in Bane. Bautista emotes great resolve, intelligence, and frankness that would serve Bane well in his war with Batman. One could argue his character in Army of the Dead also displays many of the qualities desired in Bane.
There is no question that Tom Hardy’s Bane was exceptional, but there is an opportunity for a more comic book accurate interpretation of the character. This sort of take on the character would have been a perfect fit for a Ben Affleck Batman franchise and the Gotham City created by Zack Snyder. Unfortunately, with Robert Pattinson’s Batman taking over as DC’s primary bat, it seems unlikely Bane will make an appearance anytime soon. Perhaps Dave Bautista’s best chance at playing Bane would be in a sequel to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad or possibly a future HBO Max project.
