Dave Bautista describes failed pitch to play Batman villain Bane: ‘They had a giggle and showed me the exit’

‘At least I gave it a shot,’ wrote the actor and former WWE star

Dave Bautista has described his failed pitch to play the classic Batman villain Bane.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star claimed he approached Warner Bros studios and asked to be cast as the character, only to be told that Bane wasn’t even in any of their forthcoming projects.

Speaking at Justice Con, Bautista responded when he was asked which superhero character he wished to play.

“Oh, it would be Bane all day long,” he said. “I’ve made no secret about this.

“I want to play Bane so bad I went to Warner Bros, had an appointment with them, had an appointment with DC, walked in the door and said, ‘I want to play Bane.’ I’m not kidding.

“They were a little like, ‘Woah, we’re not even casting Bane,’” he added. “I was like, ‘I don’t care, I’m playing him.’”

Writing on Twitter afterwards, the former WWE star wrote that he “wasn’t joking” about the anecdote.

“But in all honesty they did have a good giggle and show me the exit,” he said. “At least I gave it a shot.”

Bane was played by Tom Hardy in the 2012 Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, though Hardy’s interpretation of the character, which featured a plummy English-accented voice, was met with mixed reviews.