Dave Bautista Spotted Filming For Upcoming Disney Ride

Dave Bautista is helping take Marvel fans on a wild ride at Disney World this summer. Mike Johnson of PWInsider is reporting that the WWE Hall Of Famer was spotted in Epcot shooting video and promotional photos for the new ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

The ride initially opened back on May 27, but now it will have Bautista reprising his role as Dax The Destroyer to encourage park-goers to "take off on an intergalactic chase through space and time with the Guardians of the Galaxy." It's reported that Bautista is mainly in the pre-ride video and cue for the attraction.

Bautista most recently donned the look of Drax for his appearance in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Thor: Love and Thunder," which just hit theaters this past weekend. Bautista took his first leave from WWE back in 2010 to pursue a career in acting, and his role as Drax in the first "Guardians Of The Galaxy" film in 2014 put him on the movie star map, opening the doors for other opportunities that have included the James Bond film "Spectre," "Blade Runner 2049," and "Dune." He has two more major projects with Marvel within the next two years — a "Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special" on Disney Plus, and "Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3," set to release in theaters in 2023. The third "Guardians" film is reportedly Bautista's last with Marvel.

Bautista, who is a former six-time world champion in WWE, has returned for two more runs with the company since departing for Hollywood. His initial return as a babyface in 2014 was stifled thanks to the organic momentum of Daniel Bryan, but the Animal returned once more as a heel in 2019, putting a cap on his wrestling career after facing Triple H, his old Evolution stablemate, at WrestleMania 35 in a No Holds Barred match.