Dave Bautista auditions for the Gears live-action movie on Twitter: 'I can't make this any easier'

(Image credit: ISABEL INFANTES (Getty Images))

Netflix announced earlier this week that it's making a live-action Gears of War film, and the predictable response from far and wide was, "Get Dave." That would be Dave Bautista, former wrestler and current actor, who many fans think would be perfect for the role of Gears hero Marcus Fenix. Among those fans is none other than Bautista himself.

It's no surprise that Bautista wants in. He said in 2019 that he's "tried everything" to make a Gears movie happen, and he actually appeared in Gears 5 as himself—which isn't as much of a stretch as you might think, because he's one of the few people on the planet who is actually physically shaped like a COG soldier. He bears more than a passing resemblance to Marcus Fenix, too.

Marcus Fenix and Dave Bautista — (Image credit: The Coalition/Andrew Toth (Getty Images))

It's been a few years since Gears 5, and Bautista's acting career has blossomed: He's had notable roles in Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, headlined a big-budget zombie flick on Netflix (which sucked, but he was good), and found a fun home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer.

Still, his interest in headlining a Gears of War film does not appear to have waned.

I can’t make this any easier. @gearsofwar @netflix #marcusfenix #GearsofWar pic.twitter.com/SzDpiT2rNANovember 10, 2022

24 hours after it went up, Baustita's tweet has attracted nearly 128,000 likes, a number that will no doubt continue to climb, reflecting real interest (among fans of Gears and Bautista, at least) in seeing him get the job. One of those fans is none other than original Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski, who said that Bautista is his "first choice" for the role.

Cliff Bleszinski and Dave Bautista — (Image credit: Cliff Bleszinski (Twitter))

In earlier tweets, Bleszinksi said he could also see Karl Urban in the lead role, that Ryan Reynolds would be "perfect" as Baird, and that Ice T could step in as Aaron Griffin. He was somewhat less enthusiastic about the prospects another near-ubiquitous actor who's set to star in a different videogame movie next year, however:

Oh and keep Chris Pratt away from the Gears franchise, please, FFS.November 7, 2022

I really don't think we're going to find anyone better than Bautista to play Marcus Fenix (Karl Urban is a good shout, but only because Karl Urban is an absolute chameleon), but the rest of the cast I think is open to debate. So, that's the question: If Dave is Marcus, who gets the rest of the roles? Give us your picks in the comments.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.