Zack Snyder’s zombie-heist flick Army of the Dead is turning out to be another big hit for Netflix. The feature received positive reviews from critics, and the streamer expects more than 70 million households will have watched the movie in its first four weeks.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista is considered to be a significant reason for the movie’s success, having delivered a convincing and likable portrayal of mercenary Scott Ward. This is impressive considering that the wrestler-turned-actor snagged the role almost by accident.
In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Bautista revealed that he and Snyder were supposed to work on an entirely different movie before the director’s agent tipped him off about the Army of the Dead.
“Originally, I wanted to do this other movie with Zack, and I ran into his agent at a party, and he told me the movie wasn’t going anywhere, but he said Zack’s next film was Army of the Dead,” said Bautista.
While considering whether he’ll join the project, Bautista had his reservations. He wanted to prove himself as an actor, and starring in another generic action role wasn’t what he had in mind. Everything changed, however, when Snyder convinced him to read the script and told him he would play Ward.
“He’s not your predictable action hero, he’s got some depth to him, some heart and some emotion. And it really was kind of a redemption story which is what I wanted,” Bautista explained.
You can check out the whole interview below.
According to reports, Snyder and Netflix are looking to parlay the success of Army of the Dead into a franchise. There is already a prequel titled Army of Thieves and animated series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas in the works, while the sequel is also an option.
