Dave Bautista Wants To Make The Last Movie You’d Want To See Him In
Action star and former pro wrestler Dave Bautista would love to make a rom-com.
Dave Bautista has made one of the most successful pivots from professional wrestling to acting in recent memory, perhaps rivaled only by Dwayne Johnson. The star has made a name for himself in a litany of genres, including his starring role as Drax in The Guardians Of The Galaxy film series, as well as appearances in Glass Onion, Army of the Dead, and Stuber. According to a report from Deadline, there’s one genre of film Bautista would love to take on next: A rom-com.
It’s anyone’s guess why Dave Bautista has yet to appear as a romantic lead at this point in his career. He’s certainly got the comedy chops, which he showed off in 2019’s Stuber alongside fellow MCU alumni Kumail Nanjiani. Despite his massive musclebound exterior, we’ve also seen the star carry a significant emotional impact in his scenes, such as the pivotal Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 scene in which his character Drax causes Mantis to cry when she realizes that he is constantly overcome with grief following the loss of his wife and children.
The Guardians scene is widely regarded as one of the most emotionally resonant scenes in the entire Marvel cinematic universe, with Dave Bautista’s muted performance of stoic resignation carrying the tear-jerking moment flawlessly.
Dave Bautista himself jokingly offered a reason for his exclusion from the genre, commenting, “I know I’m not your typical rom-com lead… I’m a little rough around the edges… Am I that unattractive? Is there something that unappealing about me that excludes me from these parts?” This has proven to be untrue, as the comments since Bautista made this remark have been flooded with support from fans around the world that think he’s more than attractive enough to carry the leading role in a romantic comedy.
Despite the above, Dave Bautista claims he’s never received an offer for such a role. This may have less to do with his own presentation, however, and more to do with the state of the industry as a whole. Rom-coms seem to have largely waned in popularity in the past few years, with many of them being pushed straight to streaming, forgoing a theatrical release due to the declining box office sales.
Take, for instance, the box office flop of Billy Eichner’s latest romantic comedy outing, Bros, which significantly underperformed alongside the horror film Smile. Media trends seem to be leaning away from the genre, perhaps locking Dave Bautista out of the industry on the basis of his A-list status in huge Hollywood blockbusters. After all, the Dune star currently has 8 projects in active development, with a slew of high-profile offers soon to follow.
Bautista is currently killing it at the box office in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Knock At The Cabin, which is expected to dethrone James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way Of Water from its long-term sales reign. Dave Bautista is expected to continue dominating the box office throughout the remainder of 2023 as sequels for Dune, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Army of the Dead, and My Spy come cascading into theaters. At this point, it’s likely safe to assume that an actor with this much success and star power could have any role they want, so it may be a matter of time before we see Bautista star in a romantic comedy about a bodybuilder with a heart of gold.
