Dave Bautista Making A New Die Hard Movie?
Dave Bautista may be about to follow in the footsteps of Bruce Willis.
This article is more than 2 years old
Dave Bautista isn’t the first professional wrestler to pursue a career in Hollywood, but his star is slowly getting brighter than most. The former professional wrestler got his big break when he landed the role of a lifetime as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies. And he’s accumulated a pretty impressive bunch of film credits ever since. Dave Bautista’s most recent movie success includes a starring role in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. The movie garnered 72 million viewers over its first four weeks on Netflix, while earning US $1 million at the box office. With a couple of movies in post-production, the action star is in search of a new project and would really love to do something similar to Bruce Willis’s Die Hard.
According to We’ve Got This Covered, Dave Bautista has already been in talks with Netflix movie bosses about doing a Die Hard-style film that can be favorably compared to the iconic Bruce Willis movie. This isn’t all that surprising since his most successful films involve him as part of an ensemble cast. The Guardians of the Galaxy star is ready to step into the spotlight with roles that place him solidly in the lead.
If everything goes as planned, Dave Bautista’s new project could have the same effect Die Hard had on Bruce Willis’s career. Directed by John McTiernan from a script by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, the story followed New York City police detective John McClane (Willis) who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife.
Upon its release in 1988, initial reviews were mixed with critics maligning the film’s plot, the excessive violence, and Willis’s performance. But Die Hard defied critics by earning $140 million at the global box office. The film also received four Academy Award nominations, elevating Bruce Willis to leading-man status.
Meanwhile, Dave Bautista will portray Glossu Rabban in the Denis Villeneuve directed sci-fi film Dune. The movie is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, which will cover roughly the first half of the book. Dune will premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, followed by a 3D theatrical release in the United States on October 22nd.
Bautista will also be reprising his role as Drax the Destroyer for an appearance in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next Asgardian offering Thor: Love and Thunder. He will also return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with James Gunn writing and directing the project. Additionally, Drax and the other Guardians of the Galaxy characters will be featured in a holiday special created by Gunn for HBO Max.
Dave Bautista will also be reuniting with Spectre co-star Daniel Craig for the sequel to Netflix’s Knives Out. Production began this June in Greece with cinematographer Steve Yedlin and concluded in July. Principal photography is halfway complete, with the final parts of filming set to take place outside Greece.
