Dave Bautista is still very much interested in playing Bane, revealing he once went to the DC Films office about it. In the last several years, Bautista has established himself in the acting sphere after a successful pro wrestling career. Many have praised his performance as Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films. Bautista reprised his role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He's set to return as Drax in Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Bautista will first lead Zack Snyder's zombie heist film Army of the Dead, which releases in select theaters and on Netflix May 21.
Despite his successful acting career thus far, Bautista still has a dream role he would like to play. He's hoping to take on the iconic Batman villain Bane at some point. Bautista even jokingly "accepted" the role on Twitter in 2019. He also indicated he tried his best to be cast as Bane in Matt Reeves' The Batman to no avail. However, it seems Bautista isn't ready to give up his campaign to play the character just yet.
During the "Spotlight on Dave Bautista" portion of Justice Con, the actor was asked which character he would like to play in the DC Universe. Bautista responded immediately with a story showing his commitment to being cast as Bane:
Oh, it would be Bane all day long. I've made no secret about this. I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros., had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, "I want to play Bane." I'm not kidding. They were a little like "Woah, we're not even casting Bane." I was like "I don't care, I'm playing him."
Though Bautista's meeting with DC was unsuccessful, he still may wind up playing Bane at some point in the future. The Batman is already crowded with iconic villains, including Catwoman, Penguin, and Riddler. Reeves and the others behind the film may have felt adding Bane would be too much, regardless of who played the part. It's also possible DC and Warner Bros. are looking to put more space between Tom Hardy's well-received portrayal of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and his next live-action film appearance.
All told, Bautista could still be cast as Bane whenever the decision is made to introduce him into the DC Extended Universe. Considering Bane's major role in the comics, his eventual appearance seems inevitable. Bautista could bring the right energy and star power to the well-known villain. He's also more than proven himself in the comic book sector with his performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hopefully when the time comes to cast Bane, Warner Bros. and DC remember Bautista's interest and give him a chance to audition for the role.
Source: Justice Con