The Real Reason Dave Bautista Turned Down Peacemaker Before John Cena

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John Cena is one of the most accomplished wrestlers-turned-actors to ever do it. A big turning point for Cena came when he was cast as Peacemaker in director James Gunn's 2021 film "The Suicide Squad." That, in turn, led to a spin-off series, aptly titled "Peacemaker," which has since returned for a second season. But before the role was offered to Cena, another wrestler-turned-actor — in the form of Dave Bautista — was meant to play the part. So, why didn't he?

In an interview with ComicBook.com, the man known best for playing Drax in Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" films addressed the situation while promoting his new movie, "Afterburn." As the story goes, Gunn wrote the role of Peacemaker with Bautista in mind, but the latter had to turn it down. As Bautista tells it, he was too busy filming Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead" to say yes to his friend and frequent collaborator. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I have to say, that one. I really wanted to do that part. He [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."

Bautista, for those not aware, was cast as the lead in 2021's "Army of the Dead," which was Snyder's first big movie after the "Justice League" debacle. There's something of an irony to that, as Snyder was also the guy who started the now-defunct DC Extended Universe with 2013's "Man of Steel." Since then, however, Gunn has become the co-head of DC Studios and launched the DC Universe, having just directed the first DCU movie, "Superman."

Gunn, for his part, similarly talked about Bautista turning down Peacemaker in a separate interview, explaining, "I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him and we offered him the role, but he was offered two other movies and we weren't paying him a lot, and so he had to go where the money was."

Whether or not it was worth it? That's something only Bautista could say. "Army of the Dead," to Gunn's point, probably paid pretty well, as Netflix tends to pay its stars up front since there are no box office bonuses or anything of the sort. "Army of the Dead" was supposed to get a sequel titled "Planet of the Dead," but the franchise has been dead in the water for some time. Also, not to get into spoilers here, but let's just say that Bautista's character Scott Ward probably wouldn't have been involved anyway.

Meanwhile, Cena is a part of the new DC Universe, with "Peacemaker" season 2 arriving to widespread acclaim. Be that as it may, Bautista has no hard feelings. Rather, he thinks everything worked out for the best, even if he's a little jealous. Speaking further in the same ComicBook.com interview, the actor added:

"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 John. He's just perfect for it, you know, and I wouldn't have done it justice, and it wouldn't have been as successful."

"I'm saying that with a bit of envy, you know, I would love it," Bautista added. "I just wouldn't have been able to do the same thing that John does to bring to that character. It wouldn't have been the same. It wouldn't have been as good. I can honestly say it wouldn't have been as good."

Bautista has had a great career since appearing in "Army of the Dead," starring in "Dune," "Knock at the Cabin," and "Glass Onion," among other acclaimed movies. Plus, there's still a chance he could appear as another character in the DCU. Indeed, Bautista previously talked to Gunn about him playing Bane, although that has since been ruled out. Still, it's a big universe, and Gunn could undoubtedly find something for his friend to do down the road.

You can grab "Peacemaker" season 1 on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.