Dave Bautista has revealed why he’s not playing DC’s Peacemaker.
Bautista and James Gunn worked together on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Bautista played Drax the Destroyer in those movies, while Gunn directed all three of them. Since then, Gunn has gone on to launch a new shared universe, DCU, alongside Peter Safran for DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Gunn recently revealed on The Howard Stern Show that he initially wrote the character of Peacemaker specifically for Bautista. Bautista, however, turned down the offer — which was originally for two movies — and the part went to John Cena.
What did Dave Bautista say about turning down the Peacemaker role?
Speaking with ComicBook, Bautista commented on why he turned down the Peacemaker role.
“I have to say, that one. I really wanted to do that part,” he commented. “[Gunn] wrote that part for me, and it was meant for me, and it just became a scheduling thing where I just couldn’t do it, because I was doing Army of the Dead. And so it was a scheduling issue that we just could not figure out.
“…And I think it was great. It was a blessing in disguise that I didn’t do that, because I have to say, I have to be honest, there’s no way that I would have been able to do that role like [Cena]. He’s just perfect for it, you know, and I wouldn’t have done it justice, and it wouldn’t have been as successful.”
Peacemaker Season 2 premiered on HBO Max last month, while new episodes continue to drop on Thursdays until the finale arrives on October 9, 2025. The cast of the show further includes Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase/Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., and Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith/Blue Dragon.
