Over the years, Dave Bautista has made a name for himself not just as a former wrestler, but also as an actor who has taken on challenging roles in exciting films. Most notably known for his performance as Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Bautista has taken on roles in smaller films, like in Rian Johnson’s second Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, or in M. Night Shyamalan’s 2023 film Knock at the Cabin. Bautista’s experience has led him to doing more than just starring, as he has also received producing credits on some films as welL, such as the upcoming Trap House.
In MovieWeb’s exclusive interview with Bautista, the actor and producer of the action thriller discussed how the project came to be. Trap House’s synopsis describes the movie as “a game of cat and mouse that ensues when an undercover DEA agent and his partner learn that their own teenage children are using top-secret tactics and intelligence to steal from a dangerous cartel.” Bautista revealed to MovieWeb that working on the film was “a different process” for him. Mainly due to how early he joined the project during the development process, with the actor describing how “this was the first film I was a part of, from its inception until the day we picture-locked.”
Bautista’s early involvement in Trap House speaks volumes about his dedication to getting the film made. The unique premise and the exciting, unexpected, and action-packed relationship between parents and their children is the main driving force of the movie. As it turns out, Bautista had to push for the film to have a very specific tone that didn’t stray too far in its intensity…
Dave Bautista Fought to Keep Things “Lighthearted” With ‘Trap House’
The actor was asked what had attracted him to working on Trap House, and while Bautista didn’t have an answer, he revealed that what did occur was his struggle to get certain creative choices made for the movie, saying:
“I can’t say that anything drew me in, because this all came from our original idea. There were a lot of things with the idea that I really had to fight for, because there were drafts in this, where one of the kids got killed. I was like, no, we can’t do that. There was a draft where the kids went to prison. I was like, no. We want to keep this as lighthearted as we can, with there still being higher stakes. This is what I really had to fight for.”
Trap House’s high-stakes premise and the dangers involved with younger characters interacting with drug cartels undoubtedly led to discussions where things didn’t end well. However, Bautista’s insistence on a lighter tone would win out, as the actor revealed:
“I want the kids to get away with it. I fought for that because I got so much pushback. I want them to get away. This is not reality. I said, ‘Kids are going to root for these kids to get away with it.’ They finally gave in to me on that.”
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Director
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Michael Dowse
- Writers
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Gary Scott Thompson
- Producers
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Michael A. Pruss, Marc Goldberg, Sarah Gabriel, Dave Bautista, Rebecca Feuer, Todd Lundbohm
