Dave Bautista Was Turned Down For Two Star Wars Movies
When Dave Bautista landed the role of Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, his career as a WWE wrestler was transformed. Bautista is now a recognizable face in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of Hollywood’s most impressive franchises, but there’s another popular epic space opera series that has yet to open its doors to him: Star Wars.
In an interview with Flickering Myth, Bautista revealed that he has had his eyes on the Star Wars films for a long time, and has even tried out for roles in them more than once. “I’ve actually auditioned for a couple of Star Wars [movies] and they’ve turned me down,” the actor said. These attempts clearly came from more than a temporary whim: “It was always a dream of mine to be in a Star Wars film.”
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Although that dream hasn’t yet been fulfilled for him, Bautista does have the credentials of a true fan. He’s known for his collection of Star Wars merchandise, including the lunchboxes made for each movie. He claims to be mostly interested in the original trilogy: “I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the latest installments.” However, he notes that he “particularly loved Rogue One,” without mentioning if one of his auditions was for that movie, which was released in 2016. “I thought it was a really great film and I love that they went a little bit dark with it. I thought it was really interesting.”
RELATED: Dave Bautista Responds to Disney’s Decision to Not Rehire James Gunn
Bautista has lately been lambasting the Walt Disney Company for the firing of James Gunn, former director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which he perceived as an unjust decision influenced by pressure from alt-right provocateurs he describes as “cybernazis.” Gunn’s removal has resulted in the third installment of the Guardians series being indefinitely postponed. Although Bautista had previously said that he would ask to be removed from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 if Gunn’s script was not used, he did not comment on whether his feelings would affect his desire to act in the Star Wars franchise, which is also owned by Disney.
Bautista will appear again as Drax in next year’s Avengers 4, currently untitled. He is also signed on to star in the upcoming action-comedy film Dogtown, and has reiterated his interest in playing the lead role in the Gears of War movie.
