Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Dave Bautista Gets A New Sci-Fi Franchise
Dave Bautista will be headlining a brand new sci-fi film that sounds a little familiar...
This article is more than 2 years old
Dave Bautista has been making a name for himself in the world of science-fiction. His most popular role is that of Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy series, but he also delivered a great turn in Blade Runner 2049 and will be re-teaming with director Denis Villeneuve in the upcoming epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. And now, it looks like he is going to be returning to the genre once again.
Deadline reports that Dave Bautista will be producing and starring in Universe’s Most Wanted, a brand new sci-fi film that will be directed by Brad Peyton. Peyton worked with another former wrestler-turned-actor, Dwayne Johnson, in the 2008 sci-fi action blockbuster Rampage. Now, it looks like he will be bringing another big-budget science-fiction concept to the big screen.
Universe’s Most Wanted will feature Dave Bautista as an intergalactic peacekeeper who has been tasked with stopping a group of alien prisoners that have crash-landed on Earth. The aliens land in a small town and it is up to the sheriff’s son and Bautista’s character to prevent them from taking over the planet.
The idea of extraterrestrial criminals certainly calls up references to Dave Bautista’s involvement in Guardians of the Galaxy. That series centers around intergalactic criminals who end up becoming our heroes. This time, it sounds like Bautista will be on the enforcement side of things instead of being one of the spacey scoundrels. It is likely that the project is getting off the ground thanks to his involvement with such a similar premise.
Maybe the most niche element of this news is that this almost sounds like Dave Bautista is involved in a slight remake of the 1986 cult classic, Critters. That film features a group of alien fugitives who land on Earth in Grover’s Bend, Kansas in order to escape the authorities. Two shape-shifting bounty hunters are sent to exterminate the little monsters. At the same time, a rural farm family has to survive a ravenous siege by the aliens. It’s just similar enough that now we want to see Dave Bautista in a remake of Critters. Because we love Critters.
It’s unclear if Universe’s Most Wanted is planned to be a single film or if the filmmakers and Dave Bautista are hoping it could spawn an original sci-fi franchise. The actor has been trying to feature himself in more lead roles with films like Stuber and My Spy, but he has yet to break out as a leading man. Perhaps Universe’s Most Wanted will give him the opportunity to shine in the spotlight like he hasn’t before.
There is no set release date yet for Universe’s Most Wanted, and Dave Bautista is still expected to be back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s going to be interesting to see exactly how close the two sci-fi films release after each other. But we are definitely not going to complain about getting more Dave Bautista in the world of science-fiction. The more, the merrier.
