Dave Bautista confirms Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time he plays Drax the Destroyer

Dave Bautista, who was recently seen in the lead role in Zack Snyder’s The Army of The Dead, has confirmed that he would not be playing Drax the Destroyer anymore. The actor stated that he will not be reprising the role after the final installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

The 52-year-old wrestler-turned-actor confirmed the same to Ellen De Generes, on her talk show, The Ellen De Generes show.

"(Director) James Gunn has already announced that it’s his last (Marvel) film and when James is done, I’m done," the actor shared on the talk show.

James Gunn, who had helmed the previous versions of the film, was briefly voted out of the project. He came back on board as the director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 upon Dave’s request.

Dave also mentioned that getting shirtless at the age of 52 is tough, and thus, he wouldn’t want to continue playing Drax any further.

Guardians of The Galaxy stars Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Rocket Raccoon (in Bradley Cooper’s voice), Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Josh Brolin as the lead antagonist, Thanos. With Thanos out of the picture after the events of Avengers Endgame, it would be interesting to see who the new film introduces as the villain.

Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will also feature Chris Hemsworth, who plays the character of Thor in the Avengers film series. The film is slated for release in 2023.