Dave Bautista Explains Why He Chose To Make ‘Army Of The Dead’ Instead Of ‘The Suicide Squad’

Dave Bautista wants to show Netflix that he can come through for them.

Speaking with Digital Spy, the Bautista shared that James Gunn, his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director, had written a role for him in the upcoming ‘The Suicide Squad’ film. The DC Supervillain flick releases on August 6 and also stars WWE Superstar John Cena as Peacemaker. While he was initially up for it, things changed when he got a call to work with Zack Snyder. Bautista had this to say:

“I was all up for it, and then I got Army of the Dead, which was not only a lead role for me, but also I really wanted to work with Zack Snyder. I’ve been wanting to work with him for years.”

The former WWE Champion added that he wanted to establish a working relationship with Netflix to let them know that he’d be worth their time and if they invested in him, he’d come through for them. He added the following:

“I had The Suicide Squad where I got to work with my boy again, even though it’s a smaller role, and then I had Army of the Dead on which I get to work with Zack, I get to build a relationship with Netflix, I get a lead role in a great film – and I get paid a lot more money [laughs].”

Breaking the news to his friend was tough, but Gunn understood and expressed how proud he was that Bautista was in a position where he had to make these types of decisions. Bautista said this:

“I had to call James, and I told him, ‘It breaks my heart because as a friend, I want to be there with you, but professionally, this is the smart decision for me.'”

Hitting Netflix on May 21st, Army of the Dead is set in Las Vegas, walled off from the rest of the world, six years after a zombie outbreak. Dave Bautista plays Scott Ward, a mercenary tasked with leading a team to steal millions of dollars from a casino vault before the area is levelled by a nuclear blast.

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Bautista and Gunn also responded to fans after the Drax the Destroyer performer shared that he would be done with the character after the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn said that he would never re-cast the character and that he also sees Vol. 3 as the conclusion of the story he started telling back in 2014.

Drax isn’t going anywhere. He just won’t be played by this dude! —-‍by the time G3 comes out I’ll be 54 yrs old for gods sake! — im expecting everything to start sagging any second now. — https://t.co/eRJR6ZPtE2

— The Artist Formerly Known as Super Duper Dave (@DaveBautista) May 8, 2021

And there’s no Drax for me without you brother! #EndOfAJourney —- I love you dude! https://t.co/RVudW1Vuny

— The Artist Formerly Known as Super Duper Dave (@DaveBautista) May 8, 2021