Dave Bautista in Talks for Netflix Movie Unleashed
Dave Bautista might be heading back to Netflix. As reported by Deadline, the Guardians of the Galaxy actor is in talks to star in Unleashed, an upcoming Netflix film being scribed by Jeff Tomsic (TAG) and directed by Jim and Brian Kehoe (Blockers). If he signs on, Bautista will play a police officer who has a trustee canine by his side. This woofer has the ability to sniff out any crime, but meets his untimely end during a job. This leads the cop to abandon all pet partners, until he begins tagging with an animal named Zeus. Beyond starring, the former WWE Champion is also in talks to produce the film.
Unleashed would be the latest of a growing list of collaborations between Bautista and Netflix. The actor previously starred in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, a zombie heist film distributed by Netflix in 2021. Bautista returns to the red branded streaming service this fall as part of Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
This would be the Kehoes latest project to have a wrestler-turned-actor in the starring role. The duo previously wrote Blockers, which featured John Cena as its leading man.
While Cena has a track record with the Kehoes, don't expect the Peacemaker star to show up in Unleashed.
I figured a visual reference might help. I’d just prefer not to be lumped in. Nothing personal. 🤷🏻♂️ #DreamChaser https://t.co/JFHAaw053F pic.twitter.com/djKZBylIuT
— Vaxxed AF! #TeamPfizer Poor Kid Chasing Dreams. (@DaveBautista) June 26, 2021
Last summer, Bautista emphasized that "he's good" when it comes to potentially working with fellow wrestlers Cena or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on a film. Despite his disappointment, Cena offered some clarity on Bautista's perspective.
"Man I'm super sad about that because Dave Bautista is an unbelievably gifted actor. He's done some amazing work. But I think when someone makes a statement like that, I think the important thing is to try and look at things from their perspective," Cena responded. "Dave has worked so hard on his craft and he is so dedicated to his characters and really wants to put forth a body of work that gives him his own identity. I 100% understand that.
"He really just wants to be identified and recognized for his work. And I cannot fault him for that," Cena continued. "I applaud him for it. To be brave enough to say something like that kind of allows him to go forth on his own, and I appreciate that."
Unleashed is currently in development at Netflix.
