With E3 2018 just a few days away, rumors surrounding the future of Gears of War have begun to pick up steam. If something is announced, perhaps it might kickstart some details regarding Universal Studio's cinematic take on the franchise. Dave Bautista, a former wrestler turned actor, is something that has also been following the movie closely since its announcement. While the actor has already made a name for himself playing Drax the Destroyer in a pair of Guardians of the Galaxy movies as well as the box office smash Avengers: Infinity War, Bautista is eyeing another role to add to his resume.
In a recent Q&A, a fan asked Bautista about what he felt would be a dream acting role. Without hesitation, Marcus Fenix, the lead character from the original Gears of War trilogy, was quickly named as a character he absolutely wants to play. Bautista even admitted that he's been actively pursuing the role for years, knocking on Universal's door to try and make something happen. Considering the large and muscular size of many of the male characters, Bautista certainly looks the part.
Transforming the popular video game series into a movie has been a very long process, one that has seen a lot of difficulties. New Line Cinema originally acquired the rights in 2007, though numerous delays and people leaving the project essentially grounded the film. Universal Studios picked up the slack in 2016 and assigned Shane Salerno to start putting together a screenplay alongside longtime Gears of War producer, Rod Fergusson. Unfortunately, news regarding the state of the movie has been fairly scarce, with the only bit of plot information confirming that the movie isn't planning to follow any of the games and will instead tell a new tale within that universe.
And I’ve been knocking on their door and badgering them and they are so sick of me (laughs), phoning in and asking them where they are with that project. But, yes, Marcus Fenix is absolutely a dream role for me. I want that role.
On the gaming side of the franchise, pre-E3 rumors indicate that Microsoft is not only going to announce three new games, including Gears of War 5, but one of them will be a Battle Royale style spin-off. While nothing is confirmed and almost no details were provided, there is one wrinkle which may undermine this surprising rumor. Microsoft has previously stated that it has no intentions of creating its own Battle Royale game, which obviously counters this rumor. Still, with the Xbox One struggling to produce quality first party games, perhaps the company is changing its tune.
Source: Gamespot