Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto has said on multiple occasions that he pitched a Bane movie to Warner Bros. before being offered the opportunity to tell Jaime Reyes' story in what was originally a Max movie set in the DCEU.
Plans changed when David Zaslav took charge of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Blue Beetle will now be released theatrically this weekend.
Should it prove to be a success, then there's a chance we'll see Jamie's story continue in a sequel, especially as DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has already confirmed Blue Beetle is part of the DCU. However, that Bane project is one Soto remains keen to revisit.
"Well, look, when I had conceived that idea, I had no one in mind," he says of casting the iconic Batman villain. "But suddenly Dave Bautista came out to say that he wants to do it and I went, 'This is an obvious choice, yes.'"
"And I had the chance to meet him. He saw Blue Beetle, and he loved it and so I said okay if they let me do Bane...you're my Bane."
That's not a decision which will ultimately be Soto's to make, and even Bautista has acknowledged he might now be too old to play the character. Earlier this year, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star said, "I just don't know if I could handle the physical part, and I don't think I would have the longevity to plan ahead for films."
We'll see what happens, but there will be plenty of fans who are 100% on board with Soto's hopes to cast Bautista in the role. Previously, the filmmaker said he used many of his ideas for Bane in Blue Beetle as part of Carapax's story, so it's unclear how serious he is about making this villain-led project.
Do you think the Drax actor is the right choice to bring Bane to life in the DCU?