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Dave Bautista, who plays Drax in the MCU, discusses coming “full circle” with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saying, “all things must end.”
Dave Bautista, who portrays Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently discussed his upcoming reprisal in writer-director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. According to Bautista, Guardians 3 is a film that brings his cinematic journey “full circle.”
“It’s our third film, we’re gonna wrap it up,” Bautista told host Brandon Davis on ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero podcast. “And it’s been a hell of a journey with a few bumps. So, I’m looking forward to this, man. My cast and obviously the director, James Gunn, they’re like family to me.”
Bautista continued, “This is kind of where my journey started. It’s come full circle and I’m looking forward to wrapping it up. And it’s bittersweet. I mean, I’ve been doing Guardians since 2013. And, you know, when this comes out, it’ll be in 2023, so that’s a, you know, 10-year journey. You know, all things must end. And, you know, I’m looking forward to kind of wrapping this up with my friends and family.”
Bautista rose to prominence as a professional wrestler, signing with WWE (formerly known as WWF) in 2000 before being called up to the company’s main roster in 2002. Under the ring name “Batista,” he went on to become one of the biggest stars of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression era. Bautista’s acting career dates back to 2006, with the actor/wrestler appearing in an episode of Smallville and making an uncredited cameo in the film Relative Strangers. In the early 2010s, Bautista landed more prominent roles in films like Wrong Side of Town, House of the Rising Sun, The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption and The Man with the Iron Fists.
However, Bautista’s breakout role came in Gunn’s first Guardians of the Galaxy film for Marvel Studios, which originally released in theaters on Aug. 1, 2014. In Guardians, Bautista played Drax, a fierce (and overly literal) warrior bent on taking revenge against Ronan the Accuser, who killed his family at the behest of Thanos. Bautista subsequently reprised his role in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Being involved in the MCU apparently raised Bautista’s stock in Hollywood, with the actor landing roles in more recent films like Spectre, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune.
In May of 2021, Bautista strongly implied that the third Guardians of the Galaxy film would be his final outing as Drax. “[A]s far as my obligations, I’ve got Guardians 3, and that’s probably going to be the end of Drax.” Shortly thereafter, Bautista clarified his comments, stating that while he was likely going to walk away from the franchise, Drax could potentially be played by another actor in the future. “Drax isn’t going anywhere,” he said. “He just won’t be played by this dude! By the time G3 comes out I’ll be 54 [years] old for gods sake! [I’m] expecting everything to start sagging any second now.” That said, Gunn himself also chimed in, saying Bautista “could never be replaced.”
Nevertheless, before Guardians 3 hits theaters in May of 2023, Bautista is expected to reprise his role as Drax a few more times — once in Thor: Love and Thunder, which is slated to premiere in theaters later this year on July 8, and again in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which will likely hit Disney+ this coming December.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release on May 5, 2023.
Source: Twitter
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