Summary
- Dave Bautista’s next movie, Afterburn, could finally give him his own action franchise, a decade after his breakout role as Drax.
- Bautista has largely avoided lead roles and focused on crafting interesting characters, rather than chasing movie stardom.
- Afterburn, based on the Red 5 Comics series, is a unique blend of action and adventure and could launch a new franchise for Bautista.
Dave Bautisa’s next movie is a comic book adaptation that could finally give him his own action franchise, a decade on from his breakout movie role. In an alternate timeline, Jason Momoa would have played Guardian of the Galaxy’s Drax the Destroyer, but the actor ultimately passed. Momoa’s loss was Dave Bautista’s gain, with the WWE star stealing scenes with his deadpan humor and charisma. In contrast to the likes of other wrestlers who made the leap from WWE to movies like Dwayne Johnson or John Cena, Bautista has largely avoided leading roles.
Most Dave Bautista movies tend to be ensemble affairs. These include the likes of the Guardians of The Galaxy movies, Dune or Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The few times he takes on a more central role, like My Spy, tend to subvert his tough guy image. This might be the reason Bautista has become one of the more acclaimed wrestlers turned actorssince he focuses on crafting interesting characters, rather than chasing movie stardom. Even a leading role in Netflix’s Army of the Dead feels a little subversive, considering his character’s death rules out any sequel return.
Dave Bautista’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Exit Is Great For The DCU
Dave Bautista has made it clear that he will retire as Drax after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is good for the newly emerging DCU.
Comic Adaptation Afterburn Could Finally Give Dave Bautista A Solo Action Series
One of Dave Bautista’s next big project is Afterburn, based on the Red 5 Comics series of the same name. The story is set in a world where a massive solar flare destroys half the planet, with Bautista playing a thief named Jake. It’s Jake and his crew’s job to wander into the wasteland to steal valuable objects from the old world, with the team being hired to steal the Mona Lisa by a rich client. The Afterburn comic feels like Indiana Jones crossed with Escape From New York, and is a unique blend of action and adventure.
Gerard Butler was attached to a previous attempt to adapt
Afterburn
in 2018.
The comic series is quite wild too, including a section where Jake has to fight off mutated sharks in a flooded Hong Kong. In short, Afterburn is a great star vehicle for Dave Bautista, and could easily launch a new franchise of its own. This will be a long time coming for the star too, since he has yet to front a potential blockbuster franchise launcher in the vein of Afterburn. After a solid decade of working at his craft, it’s time he gave it a shot.
Why Dave Bautista Largely Sticks To Ensemble Movies
Considering it’s ten years on from Guardians of the Galaxy, some might wonder why Bautista would stuck with ensembles for so long. That’s because Bautista wanted to work with actors and filmmakers he respected and learn how to become a better performer. On the subject of acting, the star had this to say when being interviewed by GQ in 2023:
I’m obsessed with it. It’s this puzzle that I can’t figure out. You don’t know if it’s right, but sometimes it
feels
right. I don’t get those moments a lot, but every once in a while I do. It’s a natural high.
With projects like Glass Onion or Dune, he’s working with filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve or Rian Johnson, and holding his own against actors like Ed Norton, Daniel Craig – who he also worked with on the James Bond movie Spectre – and Stellan Skarsgård. This gave him the confidence to take on the lead villain role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, which includes huge reams of dialogue; it’s also a performance that earned him praise. Afterburn will be Dave Bautista’s next big challenge, but one he sounds perfectly ready to take on.
Source: GQ
