So it’s official. Valiant CEO Dinesh Shamdasani has confirmed in a recent exclusive interview with Bounding Into Comics that Dave Bautista is attached to an Eternal Warrior movie that Valiant’s currently developing in-house. At present they have a treatment that they’re happy with and are now in the process of developing the screenplay. In addition to starring as Gilad Anni-Padda (a.k.a. The Eternal Warrior), Bautista is also apparently involved in the creative process, though it’s not clear to what extent.

I’ve been mulling over this news for the past few days and, if I’m honest, still haven’t truly figured out how I feel about it. Unlike Jared Leto’s rumoured possible casting as Bloodshot, (to which my reaction was both immediate and unpublishable), I’m wrangling with a whole bunch of questions regarding this casting, and the project in general.

First things first, my exposure to Bautista as a performer begins and ends with Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. I’m not a wrestling fan and have yet to see any of Bautista’s other film roles, so all I really know for certain is that Bautista can play one particular role when written and directed by one very able writer/director (namely, James Gunn). However, it’s worth noting that he plays that role perfectly. Like, absolutely-wouldn’t-change-a-single-bloody-thing perfectly. As a result, I have a lot of affection and goodwill towards the chap.

Now, there are obvious parallels between Drax and Gilad as characters – hardened fighters with a single sworn mission, generally oblivious to humour, etc. But I would absolutely hate for an Eternal Warrior movie to feel like essentially a reskinned Drax solo movie. I would want to see the differences between these characters as well as the commonalities – especially the emotive side of Gilad. Is that something Dave Bautista is capable of pulling off?

Then there are bigger questions surrounding the project. Who’s writing it? Who will direct it? As noted, Bautista is brilliant as Drax, but how much of that is down to James Gunn’s unique take on the character and ability to convey those ideas to him in order to get the best possible performance? Will he be as charming and compelling in the hands of a different director or a less quirky script?

Finally, there’s the bloody enormous question – how would an Eternal Warrior movie factor into a wider Valiant Cinematic Universe? We know Valiant are also developing Archer & Armstrong in house which, as with The Eternal Warrior, they will then shop to different studios and see if anyone bites. Could we see a future in which Aram Anni-Padda (a.k.a. Armstrong) and his brother Gilad are marooned in separate universes under separate film studios?

A lot of questions, there. Questions to which we won’t truly know the answers until we’re sat in the movie theatre, watching the credits roll on The Eternal Warrior. No matter what misgivings I have about the project at this extremely early stage, that’s a future I cannot wait to see.