Dave Bautista has found his next A-list filmmaker to work with after working with Denis Villeneuve and Rian Johnson. The Dune actor is in talks to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s next top-secret film Knock at the Cabin. Shyamalan will write, direct, and co-produce the film with Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider through his Blinding Edge Pictures banner.
Knock at the Cabin will be released on February 3, 2023, by Universal, and extends Shyamalan’s long association with the studio, which includes the films Old (2021), Glass (2019), Split (2017), and The Visit (2017). (2015). The news of Bautista’s casting was first published by. Details for Knock at the Cabin are being kept under wraps, as is the case with anything Shyamalan, although it is known that he will write and direct the film.
While his most recent picture, Old, included a vast ensemble, Shyamalan has always preferred to have one or two major movie actors — such as Bruce Willis, Mark Wahlberg, and James McAvoy — anchoring his films, and given his track record of brilliant scripts, stars are usually lining up. Bautista jumped at the chance to collaborate with the Oscar-nominated director.
Old was Shyamalan’s sixth film to debut at No. 1 at the box office worldwide, grossing more over $90 million.
Bautista has been a go-to actor for a number of auteurs since leaving the realm of wrestling. Denis Villeneuve tapped him for a small role in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) before casting him in Dune. James Gunn brought him into greater public awareness by casting him as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), while Denis Villeneuve tapped him for a small role in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) before casting him in Dune (2021). In March, Bautista made his big screen debut as the leader of Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
After reprising the role for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the next Thor: Love and Thunder, Bautista is currently filming Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which could be his final feature as Drax.
Bautista is also set to feature in and produce a Lethal Weapon-style action film alongside Jason Momoa for MGM, which secured the project after a competitive bidding war.
CAA, Jonathan Meisner of Meisner Entertainment Group, and Karl Austen of Jackoway Austen Tyerman represent him. WME, Range Media, Greg Slewitt, and Matt Johnson represent Shyamalan.