Lobo: Dave Bautista interested in taking on the DC Comics property

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Dave Bautista is already a part of the MCU thanks to his role as Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise but what would it take for the actor to join the DCEU? Bautista has expressed interest in bringing one particular DC Comics character to life on the big screen.

During a recent interview at Justice Con, Bautista was asked by a fan to name a DC character he would like to play. At first, Bautista goes with the Batman supervillain Bane but soon his more definitive answer falls on the interstellar mercenary Lobo:

"I would really take a look at Lobo. I'd really be interested. I'd be all over that."

Lobo first appeared in DC Comics back in 1983 and was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen. In most comics, the character is depicted as an alien born on the planet Czarnia who works as an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter. The original purpose of his introductions was to satirize the more gritty characters of Marvel Comics like The Punisher and Wolverine but once he became a comic book star in his own right, the character became a big hit with DC fans.

The character has made appearances across various animated DC shows like Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League Action, and Young Justice. Lobo made his first live-action appearance during the second season of the Superman prequel series Krypton with Emmett J. Scanlan taking on the role. There were plans for Scanlan to star in a Lobo spinoff series but those plans were dashed when Krypton was canceled.

Plans to bring Lobo to the big screen have been in the works at Warner Bros. for more than a decade. Guy Ritchie was attached to direct a live-action Lobo movie at one point but those plans eventually fell through. Back in 2012, Dwayne Johnson was in talks with Warner Bros. to possibly play the role with Brad Peyton directing but ultimately walked away from that DC property for another when he became attached to play Black Adam. Lastly, Michael Bay was reportedly in talks to bring his signature excess of big explosions to a Lobo project but the project ended languishing in development hell.

Oddly enough, Bautista could've been a part of the DCEU already. James Gunn expressed interest in working with Bautista outside of the world the Guardian of the Galaxy by offering him a role in The Suicide Squad but Bautista turned it down to star in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. It was never made clear which character Bautista was offered but it seems like he would've been a good fit for the project. Maybe Warner Bros. will hear his desire to play Lobo and get the ball rolling again on his big-screen debut.

Do YOU think Dave Bautista would make a good Lobo?