Maybe it’s his breakout career as a professional wrestler or just his fairly quick rise as an A-list actor, but there’s no denying that Dave Bautista is a confident man. And why shouldn’t he be? He’s starred in massive blockbusters and has amassed a huge fan following in a relatively short amount of time in feature films. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Bautista is confident enough to believe that he’s ready to take his Hollywood career to the next level by becoming the best filmmaker in the world.
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“Right now in my career, I feel confident that I could direct a film,” he explained in an interview with Screen Rant. “I have goals, and I don’t want to do big epic films. I want to do very contained, dramatic, and inspiring films. That’s always what I’ve wanted to do. But now I feel confident that I’ve learned enough, and that I know enough about the process.”
Bautista added, “Obviously, I don’t know every technical aspect. But I feel confident that I could sit in a director’s chair right now, and if I had a solid script and a solid cast, I could make one hell of a movie. I just think I’m at that point where I’ve just learned from the best; I’ve absorbed it. I’ve been a student.”
Obviously, it helps, as Bautista points out, that the actor has worked with excellent filmmakers. Already, he’s worked with Denis Villeneuve twice (“Blade Runner 2049” and “Dune”) and Zack Snyder (“Army of the Dead”), as well as in the Marvel Studios machine with filmmakers like James Gunn and the Russo Brothers. So, there’s a solid foundation for him to build from. And because of that experience, Bautista is confident that he’s ready to conquer this new frontier.
“And it was the same in wrestling. I learned from the best, and I picked their brain, and I took advantage of those guys in a way that a lot of people are missing out on,” the actor said. “I wanted to learn things; I wanted to learn the process of professional wrestling and why it was an art. It’s the same thing with films, and I’ve done the same thing. And I feel like, right now if given the opportunity, I could be world champion.”
With Bautista becoming an acting powerhouse with clear range, going from comedy (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) to dark drama (“Blade Runner 2049”) to action hero (“Army of the Dead”), he’s getting more and more opportunities to expand his career. So, it wouldn’t be a crazy thought to imagine some studio giving him the chance to direct a feature. And with that, the world can see how that filmmaking confidence translates into a finished product.
The aforementioned “Army of the Dead” is in select theaters now and will arrive on Netflix on May 21.
