Gaming
Dave Bautista Wants to Star in 'Gears of War' So We Picked His Delta Squad
Microsoft
Dave Bautista, an ex-WWE star and cinnamon bun of a human being who is the best part of movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner 2049, and Hotel Artemis, wants to play Marcus Fenix in a film version of the Xbox video game series Gears of War. Given how perfect that would be, we decided to round out the rest of the soldiers in Fenix’s unit. On Tuesday, while taking questions from Twitter for his new film Hotel Artemis, Bautista revealed that Marcus Fenix in a Gears of War movie is a “dream role” that he’s been actively pursuing. “I have been pursuing Gears of War for years now,” Bautista revealed. “I believe it’s in the hands of Universal Studios. And I have been knocking on their door and badgering them and they are so sick of me.” “Marcus Fenix is absolutely a dream role for me,” he added. For those who haven’t curb-stomped monsters in pools of blood, Gears of War, originally developed by Epic Games, is a gnarly series about the last remnants of humanity — united under the Coalition of Ordered Governments, or COG — who wage war against a legion of monsters known as the Locust Horde. Gamers play as Marcus Fenix, a COG soldier with a soul patch who was discharged for disobeying orders (for a noble reason, of course) but rejoins to find his father, a scientist who played a key role in “Emergence Day” — the day the Locust made themselves known. Naturally, Marcus isn’t alone. Along for the ride is his BFF, Dom, whom co-op players control in multiplayer, and more hardened COG vets who stare death in the face on a regular basis. A movie based on Gears of War has been in and out of development for years. Bautista is right, the project is in the care of Universal Studios and Len Wiseman, director of the Underworld series, has been attached since 2008. But the film has languished in limbo for years. If Bautista’s buzz-worthy comments can snap the film into production, then the following supporting cast could make it what would be the dopest video game movie of all time. Welcome to Delta Squad.
Gabriel Luna as Corporal Dominic "Dom" Santiago
Known for: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Next to Marcus, the most important character in Gears of War is Dominic Santiago, the heart and soul of Delta Squad. Hoping against all hope that his wife Maria is still alive, Luna — who famously played Robbie, a.k.a. Ghost Rider in Season 4 of the Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — has proved he can play tough and warm all at once.
Emily Blunt as Lt. Anya Stroud
Known for: Looper (2012), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), A Quiet Place (2018)
Though Emily Blunt has exploded as a dramatic actress, her films just prior to her new image were big sci-fi action movies in line with Gears of War. From the very first game, players meet Lieutenant Stroud as the disembodied voice in their comms. As the COG’s key communications officer, Stroud fed intelligence and provided support to Delta Squad until she was forced to the frontlines in Gears of War 3. And thank heavens she did, as Anya and new character Alicia Valera kicked ass while adding some gender diversity to the game’s suffocating dude fest.
After the events of Gears of War 3, Anya stroud settled down to raise a family with Marcus. While that’s kind of boring, the mere fact that Dave Bautista and Emily Blunt could share screen time is all kinds of neat.
Terry Crews as Private Augustus Cole
Known for: The Expendables (2010-2014), Brooklyn Nine-Nine
More than being the internet’s favorite human being who’s good at everything, including painting, the role of Augustus Cole is a perfect fit for Terry Crews, a football player turned actor and social justice activist.
Braggadocios and offering a moments of levity in between despair, Cole is popular among Gears fans as the “Cole Train,” a former superstar athlete — in the violent sport “Thrashball” — who signed up for the COG army immediately after Emergence Day. He joins Delta Squad early in the first game when his former unit was wiped out, leaving him the only one alive.
Johnny Knoxville as Corporal Damon Baird
Known for: MTV’s Jackass, The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
Admittedly, it might be the way Knoxville can wear the hell out of glasses, but the smart mouthed Damon Baird, who is honestly a real dick in the games, requires an onscreen personality like Knoxville’s to make tolerable. There may be actors who look more like Baird — Hello, Jeremy Renner — but few can make assholes fun like the guy who did Jackass.
Daniel Dae Kim as Lt. Minh Young Kim
Known for: Lost, Hawaii Five-0, Hellboy (2019)
The original commander of Delta-One was the no-nonsense Lt. Minh Young Kim, who resented having a war criminal like Sgt. Fenix in his unit. He’s famously known for getting brutally killed by General RAAM in the first game, but in the DLC for Gears of War 3, a prequel chapter imbued Kim with more motivation and depth.
Stephen Lang as Colonel Victor Hoffman
Known for: Avatar (2009), Into the Badlands
They have the same square jaws and the same shit-your-pants presence that make them both the definition of hard asses. Lang was a popular fan choice for Cable before Josh Brolin landed the role in Deadpool 2, but the rugged Colonel Hoffman is an archetype Lang has mastered due to previous roles in films like Avatar and the TV series Terra Nova.
Uli Latukefu as Corporal Tai Kaliso
Known for: Netflix’s Marco Polo, Alien: Covenant (2017)
Every fan remembers Tai, the spiritual warrior of Delta Squad who meets a horrifying end in Gears of War 2. As a rare portrayal of heroic Polynesians in mainstream gaming, leaving out Tai would be a missed opportunity in a film based on this universe. But fingers crossed he makes it out alive. His death is easily the darkest in a series packed with gruesome violence.
Michael Shannon as High General RAAM
Known for: Boardwalk Empire, Man of Steel (2013), The Shape of Water (2017)
The final boss fight of Gears of War isn’t exactly hard, but still RAAM haunts anyone who’s ever squared off against him. His intimidating design, from that noir-style trench coat to being surrounded by bats like he’s Batman, has given RAAM personality even if he’s never spoken a proper word. A movie, of course, should give him something to say, and Michael Shannon’s raw intensity is ideal for a monster with class like RAAM.
