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What's the story?
WWE star turned actor Dave "Batista" Bautista has carved out quite a name for himself in the movie industry in the past few years, working with names such as Jodie Foster, Ryan Gosling, directors such as Dennis Villeneuve, and taking part in the massively successful Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers movie franchises.
Following Batista's announcement that he has retired from pro wrestling after his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania this year, Batista has several movies in the can, with his latest movie Stuber in theatres on July 12th, and projects such as My Spy, Dune, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the horizon.
A fan recently asked the former WWE Champion if he would be starring in the new Fast & Furious movie, featuring both The Rock and John Cena, and Batista took a shot at the movie while suggesting he will not be participating in the action flick.
In case you didn't know...
There is no love loss between Batista and the movie work of The Rock and John Cena, as Batista spoke very candidly in an interview earlier this year about The Rock and John Cena's abilities as actors, and noted he does not like being compared to them considering all three are ex-WWE performers.
"[The Rock and John Cena] are wrestlers who became movie stars," Batista told The Tampa Bay Times earlier this year. "I’m … something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I’m an actor.”
Batista continued thus:
“[The] Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star. There is something about him that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F— no. I want good roles. I don’t care about Fast and Furious or Bumblebee. … That’s not the kind of stardom I want. … I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster. I want to work with Academy Award winners. I’m proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education.”
The heart of the matter
When a WWE fan suggested that Batista might play the villain in the upcoming Fast & Furious movie starring The Rock and John Cena, Batista shrugged off the idea by including the hashtag #idratherdogoodfilms on Twitter.
What's next?
Early reviews for Batista's new comedy Stuber are positive, and with even more movies slated for production soon, including The Killer's Game and Army of the Dead, the former WWE Champion looks to be making a good impression on Hollywood producers and directors.
The big man also landed a role in Sylvester Stallone's new movie Escape Plan: The Extractors, which is now available on DVD.
What do you think about The Rock and John Cena's acting chops? Let us know in the comment section!
