Dave Bautista Jokingly Accepts Role of DC's Bane

Between the recent casting of Robert Pattinson as Batman and the rumored casting of John Cena in The Suicide Squad, DC fans have been enjoying quite a few morsels of news about the upcoming films. Another intriguing (albeit less serious) tease came this week from actor Dave Bautista, who, responding to a suggestion from a fan, joked that he would be eager to play the role of Batman villain Bane.

On Twitter yesterday, according to ScreenRant, user Evin Ceniceros said that they had seen a video postulating castings for upcoming Batman films, and made his own nomination for Bane, suggesting that Bautista play the prolific villain. Bautista, for his part, quote-tweeted the suggestion and added a joking “I accept!”

Though there has been no such announcement, it is hard to dispute that Bautista would fit well into the role of Bane. The character is famous for his combination of enhanced strength and calculating intelligence--a combination that Bautista has channeled in his roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Blade Runner 2049. Most recently, Bane has appeared in the TV series Gotham, played by Shane West, and the film The Dark Knight Rises, played by Tom Hardy.

Previously, Bautista reportedly became briefly involved with in the DC Extended Universe with James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Reports indicate, however, that he has dropped out of the film, with his role being filled by fellow Marvel Studios actor Idris Elba. In the meantime, Bautista is set to appear in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

We’re not holding our breath over whether or not Bautista will play Bane--but nonetheless, it’s still fun to imagine a world in which he could.