The actor admitted he doesn't know if he wants to 'work for Disney' and that 'GotG 3' is 'on hold indefinitely.'
Dave Bautista has been one of the most outspoken critics of Disney following their decision to fire director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and now it looks like he might not be appearing in the film himself.
The professional wrestler-turned action superstar -- who plays the alien warrior Drax in the beloved Marvel franchise -- recently sat down for an interview with The Jonathan Ross Show on Sept. 1, where he admitted that the future of his involvement with the franchise, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, is somewhat murky.
"It’s a bitter-sweet conversation - [actually] It’s a bitter-bitter conversation because I’m not really happy with what they’ve done with James Gunn," Bautista, 49, said when asked about his involvement with the final installment in the planned trilogy.
Bautista went on to say that the studio is "putting the movie off" and it is now "on hold indefinitely." While he didn't share any specifics about plans for the film's production, he minced no words when it came to his dissatisfaction with the studio.
"To be honest with you I don’t know if I want to work for Disney," Bautista admitted.
While going against Disney, now the largest movie studio around, is something of an unusual move for a movie star who hopes to continue to get hired, Bautista said, "I’m not afraid to admit the way I feel."
"I don’t think I’m your typical Hollywood guy," Bautista responded.
This is the latest in a number of instances in which the actor expressed his anger toward Disney, who fired Gunn in July after a handful of nearly decade-old tweets resurfaced in which he made lewd jokes pertaining to pedophilia and rape.
The tweets in question were originally surfaced and spread by vocal alt-right white nationalist and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, in what Bautista -- and many others -- believe was a deliberate attempt to "smear" Gunn's name in retaliation for his liberal political views and vocal dissent against President Donald Trump.
Last month, while answering questions about whether or not he'd be reprising his role in GotG 3, Bautista tweeted that,"I will do what Im legally obligated to do but @Guardians without @JamesGunn is not what I signed up for."
"It's also pretty nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists #cybernazis," Bautista added at the time. "That’s just how I feel."
While Gunn himself has said he understands and accepts Disney's decision, a large number of Gunn's colleagues and fans have come out to support him, and argue that jokes he made 10 years ago don't reflect the kind of person he actually is in real life, or at the point in time.
Last month, the entire cast of GotG -- including Bautista, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and others -- signed an open letter in which they vocally advocated for their friend and director.
For more on Gunn's termination from the third installment in the Marvel franchise, and the subsequent fallout surrounding Disney's decision, check out the video below.
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