The comic book genre is the most popular in the film world, with loads of talented actors and filmmakers joining cinematic universes. And superhero blockbusters have become so common that certain actors have had roles in multiple comic book properties. Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, and Chris Evans have all done this type of work, and for a while it seemed Guardians actor Dave Bautista was jumping over to DC for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
During the months between James Gunn's firing and eventual reinstatement as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he inked a deal with Warner Bros. to bring The Suicide Squad to theaters. Bautista was a staunch defender of Gunn during this time, and for a while it looked like he might be abandoning the role of Drax to join Gunn's DC project. Now the wrestler turned actor has clarified his intentions, saying:
No, it wasn't that I was going to jump ship and do Suicide Squad. I was more at the point where I was like, 'Fire me. I don't care. You're going to hear what I have to say.' And this is the way I feel and I think you made a bad call and I don't care if you fire me because I feel this way. This is me being honest and me sticking up for my friend who was wronged.' So that was it. It wasn't about me -- I'm not threatening to go do Suicide Squad, but I was just saying, 'If things aren't here, I'm just going to leave. I don't want to be a part of this.'
Dave Bautista has been open about his loyalty to James Gunn, especially in the months where Guardians 3 was on hold and the director was out of the public eye. And it appears he wanted to puff up his chest a bit and make his feelings known while Marvel Studios figured out what to do for the upcoming Guardians threequel.
Dave Bautista's comments to ET shed a light on what was really going as the James Gunn situation slowly played out. Gunn's departure from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seemingly put the entire franchise in jeopardy, as the movies are extremely tied to his perspective and sense of humor. Finding a replacement for Gunn seemed nearly impossible, and Bautista was open about his disappointment with the situation.
Related: James Gunn Opens Up About Guardians Of The Galaxy Firing
The entire Guardians cast united shortly after James Gunn was fired, penning a letter in solidarity with their director. Bautista was one of the names on that note, but he also made a few other public comments about the situation. What's more, he seemingly threatened to quit Guardians 3 if Gunn's original draft of the script was used.
Despite rumors about Dave Bautista possibly playing Bane in The Suicide Squad, he hasn't officially joined the developing DC blockbuster. And now that James Gunn has been rehired to complete the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, the actor seems to have buried the hatchet with Marvel Studios. So we'll just have to see how Gunn's upcoming superhero movies end up.
Dave Bautista is in theaters now for Avengers: Endgame, and CinemaBlend will keep you updated on Guardians and Suicide Squad news as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
