Dave Bautista is setting the bar high for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” promising that it will be the “best” film of the franchise.
“It’s very emotional. It’s emotional, it’s dark, and it’s deep and it’s inspiring. I think this is going to be a special [one],” he said in a recent interview for Uproxx.
The “Knock at the Cabin” star admitted that he has yet to see the film, which wrapped shooting in May 2022 and hits theaters May 5, 2023.
“I thought ‘Guardians’ was going to be the best, or ‘Guardians 2’ was going to be the best,” he explained. “And after reading the script and after being on this film and filming it, it’s just so much better.”
What makes the third time the charm for this Marvel franchise?
“It’s just so much better, so much deeper. It’s so much more personal. And there’s such a massive inspiring message to this film,” he said.
“Unlike a lot of franchises, we’re leaving with our best. We haven’t been watered down as we’ve gone along, but I think we’re leaving with our best film.”
As revealed in the first trailer, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki and Chukwudi Iwuji are the new villains in town. They join the returning cast, which includes Bautista as Drax, Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Vin Diesel as Groot, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Pom Klementieff as Mantis. The film will also see the return of Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Maria Bakalova and Michael Rosenbaum.
Before the James Gunn franchise takes its bow, Bautista will grace the big screen in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Knock at the Cabin,” hitting theaters Feb. 3. He stars as Leonard, who, flanked by three other strangers, crashes a family’s vacation to announce that they must sacrifice one of their own to prevent the apocalypse.
