A longtime fan of the zombie genre, Dave Bautista told Empire about his unsuccessful attempts to join the Walking Dead team. "I'm a zombie fan, I tried to get on Walking Dead for years. I said I would come and play a zombie for free, but they said, 'You're too big!'" Having spent years of his life dominating the ring in the WWE, Bautista was used to his large frame being an asset as opposed to a hindrance. In other acting roles, it hadn't caused a problem. But, to become a walker, it was less than ideal. Standing at around 6 feet, 3 inches and weighing in at around 260 pounds would make Bautista stick out like a sore thumb.
Even though his Walking Dead dreams have been dashed for the time being, Dave Bautista is about to make a splash in the zombie world all the same. He stars in Justice League director Zack Snyder's upcoming heist film, Army of the Dead. Bautista plays Scott Ward, alongside Ella Purnell's Kate Ward, Hiroyuki Sanada's Hunter Bly, Ana de la Reguera's Cruz, and more. The group plan to rob a Las Vegas casino in the middle of a zombie outbreak. The film hits Netflix on May 21, 2021, finally allowing Bautista to add a zombie-centric project to his ever-expanding filmography.
