Dave Bautista has come a long way from the wrestling ring. Swapping the world champion belt for a host of award-winning films and high-profile acting roles has made Bautista quite the star to watch out for.
Starring in Netflix's highly-rated Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and soon to be released Knock at the Cabin from M. Night Shyamalan, Bautista is putting himself out there as a serious actor in 2023.
But there's one role the 53-year-old won't be pursuing further which is sure to be a big disappointment to fans of the Marvel Universe. The actor has decided to call time on the Drax the Destroyer character in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, which is set to be released in May, 2023, will mark his last appearance as the Drax the Destroyer. It's a role that's nearly spanned 10 years for Bautista in seven different Marvel projects including the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit for Bautista though as he was able to play one of the film's most funny characters, which became a hit with fans, however the 53-year-old admits he needs to move on from the role.
He said: "I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role."
Bautista told GQ that the makeup process for the character was tough. He explained: "The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy, it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff."
This year is already shaping up to be the biggest and most serious year for Bautista's career, as he will also star in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune sequel, alongside Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård and more.
The film is due to be released on November 3, 2023 and serves as a direct sequel to the 2021 film which is the second of a two-part adaption of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbet.
It's not the first time Bautista has worked with Denis Villeneuve, as the Canadian director led him on Blade Runner 2049 and both Dune films.
He told GQ: "If I could be a number one [on the callsheet] with Denis, I would do it for f******* free.
"I think that’s how I could find out how good I could be. He brings out the best in me. He sees me in a different light, sees the performer that I want to be. That might be how I solve the puzzle."
