The search for the meatiest member of Nerdist podcast guest James Gunn‘s forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy is over – and, no, I’m not talking about Rocket Raccoon, he’s more furry than anything. After a lengthy search process and stiff competition from the likes of Jason Momoa, Isaiah Mustafa, and Patrick Wade, mixed martial artist/WWE wrestler Dave Bautista has landed the role of Drax, a human reborn as an emerald-clad warrior with the powers of flight, super strength, and energy blasts, and a serious grudge against Thanos.
While Momoa was heavily rumored as a lock for the role, Bautista, who last appeared in the RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists as villain Brass Body, closed the deal today. According the the rumor mill, Momoa priced himself out of the running, but with Bautista’s imposing build and his recent uptick in acting gigs (he’ll star opposite Vin Diesel in Riddick this September), he is an exciting addition to Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord and what’s shaping up to be an excellent cast. Sorry, Khal Drogo – maybe you can play a particularly beefy Groot?
What do you think of the announcement? Who would you like to see fill out the remaining roles? Quemment below and let us know.
Drax (forunately) doesn’t need a ton of depth character-wise, right? Bautista just needs to pull off “angry”, “mean”, “vengeful”, and “bad-ass”. Like the Hulk, but less funny.
Time to get another wrestler on the podcast …
Good casting here you need someone that looks like a BMF, and he looks like a B-M-F.
He looks the part, but can he act the part?