Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Dave Bautista Still Hasn’t Read James Gunn’s Script

Drax actor Dave Bautista reveals the cast of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will reunite for the first read-through of director James Gunn‘s script in November. Bautista, who in 2018 threatened to quit the threequel if Disney-owned Marvel Studios didn’t use the script penned by its at-the-time fired director, has yet to read the script that will “wrap up” this team of Guardians in what is currently planned to be Gunn’s final installment of the franchise. While promoting his Zack Snyder-directed zombie heist movie Army of the Dead, Bautista revealed an update from the Marvel sequel that will begin filming in late 2021:

“I haven’t read it. I haven’t read it, and I will,” Bautista told Collider when asked about Gunn’s finished script for Vol. 3. “We’ll sit down, eventually we’ll go [through it]. James is big on rehearsals and big on table reads, so probably the first time that I’ll actually read it is when we go and sit down and do the table read, which will be in November of this year.”

Earlier this year, Bautista completed filming on the Australia-shot Thor: Love and Thunder — set in-between the events of Avengers: Endgame and 2023’s Vol. 3 — reuniting with his Guardians castmates under Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. Bautista previously suggested he reprises the Drax role for the sixth and final time in Vol. 3, which the actor says is “probably going to be the end” of the Kylosian destroyer.

“I’m looking forward to being back with my friends. I like the camaraderie. I’m in a weird place with Drax because I’ve played Drax so many times, I’m on cruise control,” Bautista recently told USA Today. “I love the character, but getting in the makeup, it’s just a nightmare. I couldn’t explain how awful it is. I hate to sound like one of those high-maintenance actors, but it’s just traumatizing.”

Bautista continued, “Once I’m in it and I’m on set with my friends and making this character come to life and interacting with these characters that I love so much as a fan, it’s all fun and joy. Throughout the years, maybe because I’ve gotten older and more sensitive to it, [the makeup’s] become more unbearable, but the one thing I’m just looking forward to is closing out this journey of Drax.”

Also starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, and Vin Diesel as Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5, 2023.