When it comes to starring in a Gears of War adaptation, no Hollywood actor has made his desire more known than Dave Bautista. The Guardians of the Galaxy actor has been on record multiple times expressing his desire to star in a Gears of War adaptation, even going so far as to call Marcus Fenix his "dream role."
Back in 2022, Netflix announced that it had acquired the rights to Gears of War and that it would be adapting the beloved video game franchise into a live-action movie and animated TV series. Shortly after that announcement, Bautista threw his hat into the ring, posting a quick video in which he was dressed in the signature armor from the video games.
There haven't been many updates regarding the project since then, although last March it was confirmed that Dune and Doctor Strange writer Jon Spaihts had been tapped to pen the adaptation. Other than that, it's been pretty much radio silence.
Fans are starting to grow impatient, Bautista included. While speaking to ComicBook about his newest film In the Lost Lands, the Gears of War adaptation came up, and Bautista revealed that he's been bugging Netflix about it. He even urged fans to jump on board and start a petition to get the ball rolling.
“Start an online thing about freaking Gears of War. Come on, Netflix. Come on already,” Bautista said when the subject Gears of War came up. “It’s not like I’m not badgering them. Come on, Netflix. Get it together.”
Netflix TUDUM is set to return in May of this year, so it's possible we could get some sort of status update on the Gears projects then. So I would suggest not badgering Netflix with emails and letters until at least May.
Still, the excitement is understandable. Gears of War is one of the most well-known and beloved video game franchises. The games, which have typically been exclusive to Xbox (but could be coming to PlayStation soon), follow humanity's last stand against the Locust Horde, a monstrous threat lurking below.
"Led by disgraced sergeant Marcus Fenix, a ragtag fire team known as Delta Squad is the only thing defending what’s left of society from total collapse as they face the enemy on the hostile planet Sera," the description teases.
Spaihts previously penned the script for Ridley Scott's Prometheus and the adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, so the upcoming Gears movie is certainly in good hands. The movie will be produced in partnership with The Coalition, the developer of the Gears of War games. Following the live-action film will be an adult animated series, with Netflix teasing the potential for more stories.