MGM studios is reportedly nearing winning an auction for Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista's untitled buddy cop film. Back on August 19, Bautista kicked off the idea for the film in a tweet that outlined himself and Momoa in a "Lethal Weapon type buddy cop movie." The actor even went so far as to attach director David Leitch to the hypothetical project. Although Bautista was just "throwing it out into the atmosphere," he concluded the mock pitch with, "Now we wait."
Momoa would go on the reinforce Bautista's idea during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden a few days later. When asked about the potential project, Momoa revealed that Bautista texted him a few days earlier about the idea. The actor also revealed that the hypothetical film would shoot in Hawaii, to which he joked Bautista would wear his Speedo and he would wear his trademark board shorts. Momoa also joked that Bautista would be "grumpy" while he would be "charming," and that the movie pitch "sells itself." Apparently, Momoa may be right about that last part.
Deadline reports that MGM is close to securing a deal for Momoa and Bautista's buddy cop film. The duo reportedly went "all over town" this week pitching the idea, which opened up a bidding war between movie studios. The actors' pitch calls for a buddy cop comedy similar to Lethal Weapon, where the duo would play brothers and film in Hawaii. Bautista himself took to Twitter, retweeting the report of MGM's potential deal and giving a funny reaction to the good news. Check out his tweet below:
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Although Bautista called on Leitch to direct the film in his original pitch on Twitter, the project currently has no director attached to it. However, the duo was able to nab Jonathan Tropper to write the script. Both Momoa and Bautista know Tropper from See, the Apple TV+ drama series, which sees both actors facing off against each other, mano a mano. The untitled film serves as an original story from Momoa, Bautista, and Tropper. The studio will develop the movie, which is hopefully set to shoot in 2023 after both actors finish work on their respective franchises.
Both Momoa and Bautista hold a lot of star power in Hollywood, owing to their successful franchises. Momoa is currently busy filming the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sequel, while Bautista gears up for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Additionally, both actors recently starred in the highly anticipated Dune, although they did not share any scenes together. Nonetheless, the two actors share an obvious chemistry that is likely to translate well on the big screen. Therefore, it's no wonder that movie studios were clamoring to win the action for their upcoming buddy cop movie.
Source: Deadline, Dave Bautista