The Batman: Dave Bautista Says He Tried to Get Bane Role

Marvel Cinematic Universe star Dave Bautista says he tried to make the trip to Gotham City as Bane. Fans have wondered if Bautista could play the villain in the upcoming film The Batman since the actor shared a photo from outside the Warner Bros. lot in December. The idea became theories, rumors, speculation, and the like for months, but Bautista finally responded to the murmurs when a fan brought them to his attention on Twitter. Bautista says he’s not playing Bane in The Batman, but that it isn’t for his lack of trying. Bautista tweeted that “Unfortunately it’s not” happening. “Tried my best.”

This comment suggests his original post in December, which included the hashtag #DreamChaser, may have been a meeting about Bane after all. Either way, the idea of Bautista playing Bane is not happening. Whether that’s because the villain was cut from the film because there were never plans to use him, or because someone else is playing the character remains unclear.

Bane has appeared in two Batman live-action films previously. A version of the character appeared in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin, as played by professional wrestler Robert Swenson. A more intelligent, plotting version of the character appeared in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, as portrayed by Tom Hardy.

The Batman has plenty of other antagonists for Bruce Wayne, played by Robert Pattinson, to face. Zoë Kravitz is playing Selina Kyle, the cat burglar known as Catwoman, who is sometimes romantically entangled with Batman. Paul Dano is Edward Nashton, a version of The Riddler. John Turturro is Carmine Falcone, a Gotham crime boss, while Collin Farrell plays Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin.

Farrell recently discussed the film’s script. “I have been watching the Batman films with my kids, but this script is something that feels incredibly original,” he continues. “It leans into it, but it doesn’t borrow; it’s born of the mythology of that character, Bruce Wayne, Batman, and Gotham. But it feels like a treatment and a version that I hadn’t seen before. Matt Reeves has done an incredible job of keeping it familiar and, at the same time, unique and new. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.”

Warner Bros. rescheduled The Batman‘s release as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Director Matt Reeves remains confident in the process.

“It was going great,” Reeves said in an interview in April. “We shot about a quarter of the movie so far; we have three quarters to go. And when the time is right, and it’s safe to do so, we’ll return to it. It was a really exciting period to be exploring. Robert is a fantastic actor, and we have so many great actors in it! It’s been really, really exciting to go on this journey with them, and to feel like we are trying to do something different.”

The Batman opens in theaters on October 1, 2021.