It’s probably a given that at some point Dave Bautista will join his Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn over at DC Studios. The two have been buddies for years, and we all remember how Bautista came to Gunn’s defense when Marvel fired him for a short time. But there remain some big questions as to what Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran have planned for the future of DC. Gunn and some of the current actors have refuted claims of a total reboot, and yet that’s what Bautista says is going to happen.
Speaking with Insider about his new film, Knock At the Cabin, Bautista claims that Gunn is wiping the DC universe clean and starting fresh…
“I have had conversations with James about that, but I think the direction he’s leaning in, completely rebooting that whole universe, he’s starting from scratch and starting younger and fresher and I think you need to do that,” said Bautista.
Bautista added, “I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors. You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. And I understand that. And, also, I have to say that I appreciate that because I don’t want to play a character that I can’t bring justice to it. I don’t think at this point in my career that I can bring justice to Bane anymore. I just don’t know if I could handle the physical part, and I don’t think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films. So, I just don’t know if I’d be that guy.”
It would make sense for Gunn to keep news like this quiet. There are four DC movies coming out in 2023: Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash, and Blue Beetle. Warner Bros. Discovery wants people to be motivated to pay for those films, and if they think they’re meaningless, more will decide to stay home and wait for Gunn’s reboot.
It’s hard to believe that Bautista would say this stuff without it being true. At the same time, it’s hard to fathom Gunn wanting him to reveal this so early. So who knows what’s real and what’s not?
Bautista can be seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock At the Cabin this weekend.
