Back in November, Dave Bautista took to social media to seemingly hint that he'd spoken to James Gunn on the WB lot, who had just assumed the role of co-chair of DC Studios. Gunn also re-shared Bautista's post, lighting up social media with tons of speculation about who Bautista could portray in the DCU.
Now, Bautista is singing a different tune.
In a new interview with Comic Book, Bautista was asked which could occur first- him being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame or signing up for a role in the DCU?
Bautista replied, "I couldn't give you an honest answer to that because I think…And, I'm only gonna say this because we've had conversations, over the years, it would [be] the WWE Hall of Fame. I was supposed to go in last year and I was on a film and I just couldn't travel. I was on a film in South Africa and logistically we just couldn't make it happen. So, you know, and I haven't talked to James about the DC Universe."
He went on to add, "I would love to work with James again, whether it's DC Universe or not. I just love James Gunn. He's an incredible director and we have a camaraderie that's priceless. So to work with him again ? I mean I'd do it for free. But, we just haven't had the conversations. He's on top of DC now. He's doing his thing. I'm trying to grind along in my processing. But, I'm always open-minded too and I've expressed that to him."
Again, we'll point back to Bautista's social media post back in November which the Dune actor had to know would illicit a ton of rumors and speculation. Gunn also had to know that him re-posting the photo would only add fuel to the fire.
So for Bautista to follow up three months later and state he and Gunn haven't discussed any possibilities is a tough pill to swallow.
Bautista did previously state that he's spoken with Gunn about portraying Bane in the DCU but that was reportedly before Gunn became the co-chair of DC Studios. Bautista made these comments back to Insider in January 2023 and later had his publicist clarify that those discussions were before Gunn became the co-CEO of Warner Bros' DC division.
"I have had conversations with James about[playing Bane] but I think the direction he’s leaning in, completely rebooting that whole universe, he’s starting from scratch and starting younger and fresher and I think you need to do that. I think for the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors. You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. And I understand that."
So why now is Bautista seemingly going out of his way to say that he and Gunn have had zero conversations about the DCU? Could he be nervous about giving something away so he's opting to state that he's hasn't spoken to Gunn about the DCU?
Let us know what you think in the comment section below.