After recently shutting down his potential to play a Batman villain, Dave Bautista says he would be down to play Lex Luthor in James Gunn's DC Universe. Gunn, who made his franchise debut with The Suicide Squad, was tapped to lead DC Studios this past November alongside The Conjuring Universe producer Peter Safran, with the two crafting a 10-year plan for how the DCU, formerly known as the DC Extended Universe, would move forward. After offering plenty of tidbits for what's to come from the franchise, Gunn finally unveiled the roster of projects slated for Chapter 1 of the DCU, named "Gods & Monsters," though kept casting plans largely under wraps.
Amid the recent reshuffles at the studio, ComicBook.com's Chris Killian took to his Instagram to pitch Dave Bautista for the role of Lex Luthor in Gunn's DCU.
The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star subsequently took to commenting on Killian's post, admitting he had not thought about the possibility of portraying the iconic Superman villain, while also teasing he would not stop thinking about it moving forward. Check out Killian and Bautista's interaction above:
How Bautista's Lex Luthor Could Fit Into Gunn's DCU
Bautista and Gunn have frequently teased their interest in reuniting in the DCU, with the latter even indicating he may look to bring other Guardians of the Galaxy cast members to his franchise, much in the way he did with Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone and Sean Gunn in The Suicide Squad. Given his grand stature and wrestling history, hopes were high for Bautista to take on the mantle of iconic Batman villain Bane, only for him to recently indicate he was no longer at the point to "bring justice to Bane" in a long-term format. While Gunn has remained silent on who Bautista could play, there is one key project that could make this work in the form of Superman: Legacy.
Penned by Gunn himself, with Safran hoping he will also direct if he has the time, Superman: Legacy is said to be the true launching point of DCU Chapter 1, not exploring his origin story, but rather how he will balance his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing in his early days as the titular hero and as a Daily Bugle reporter. While Gunn indicates wanting to move away from a typical "good guy vs. bad guy" formula, his desire to capture the optimism of Superman from the comics could make the perfect gateway for Bautista's Luthor to come in, delivering a foe more focused on his wits than his muscles. Though the latter may seem like less of a selling point for Bautista in the role, his recent turns in Blade Runner 2049 and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery have shown his talents outside of his physical prowess.
With that said, it doesn't entirely rule out the possibility for Bautista's Lex Luthor to go toe-to-toe with Superman in direct fisticuffs in Gunn's DCU given his frequent use of the mechanized armor, Warsuit, that grants him enhanced strength, allowing him to fight the Man of Steel. However, considering Gunn is looking to go for a younger Superman in his DCU plans, it may be better to introduce a similarly younger actor for Luthor. Additionally, with Jason Momoa's Aquaman future seemingly set in stone, the door seems just as open for Bautista to take on another major mantle in the DCU with that of Lobo.
Source: Chris Killian/Instagram